It made me a little squeamish to discover that one of my favourite idioms, 'nitpicking', arrived from a rather creepy origin. Literally...
Nitpicking, which is commonly used today to describe trivial and unjustified criticism, originated from the act of removing nits (lice eggs) from one's hair. Eeeeek! Back in the day, nits were removed one by one, a rather long and painstaking process.
For example: The boy's mother had the bad habit of nitpicking him about every little detail of his schoolwork. She was never satisfied with the quality.
Similarly, the expression 'to go over something with a fine-tooth comb' also arrived from creepy origins. A special comb was used to remove nits from the entire head, as well as any attached to hair strands, to ensure the scalp was free and clear from creepy crawlies.
For example: Writing a thesis is exacting work. Everything needs to be perfect, so I went over it again and again with a fine tooth-comb.
Find more idioms and their origins here.
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