Italian Idiom of the Week: Cercare il pelo nell’uovo (to nitpick / split hairs / fault-find)

Today, we want to discuss the meaning of a very common Italian idiom: Cercare il pelo nell’uovo (literally “to search for a hair in the egg”). This expression, which is very familiar to most Italians, signifies being overly meticulous and seeking out faults and flaws in others, even when they are imperceptible or non-existent.

cercare il pelo nell'uovo, italian idiom

In English, three similar expressions are “to be a nitpick“, “to split hairs” or “to fault-find“, but the difference is that, while a nitpicker or hair-splitter may well discover an actual fault if they look hard enough, a person who searches for a hair inside an unbroken egg is engaging in a pointless endeavour.

Perché devi sempre cercare il pelo nell’uovo?

Why do you always have to nitpick?



Non puoi mai accontentare Giovanni, perché lui è sempre alla ricerca del pelo nell’uovo.

You can never please Giovanni because he’s such a nitpicker.


Hand holding egg, isolated on white.
Non essere la persona che cerca sempre il pelo nell’uovo. = Don’t always be the person who fault-finds.

It’s interesting to note that there is a lesser-known variation of this phrase, Trovare il pelo nell’uovo (To find the hair in the egg), which carries more or less the same meaning as the one we have just explored.

Non perdiamo tempo a trovare il pelo nell’uovo, concentriamoci sulle cose importanti.

Let’s not waste time splitting hairs, let’s focus on the important things.


The moral of the story? Don’t be that person who “searches for a hair in an egg” – your friends and family will thank you for it!

cercare il pelo nell'uovo

Sources: The Local Italy, Corriere dello Spettacolo

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