to pick apart
14
5.2
- phrasal verb
- /pɪk əˈpɑrt/
- Informal
:
desmenuzar
- In court, Gil will likely try to pick apart the commission's conclusions, and he might score a few victories.
- try to pick apart
- pick apart every minute detail
- pick apart her story
Prepare for for people picking apart your product.
- Prepare for for people picking apart your product.
- And also trying to pick apart why adults treat children this way or that way.
- As the bill is out, America is starting to pick it apart and start resenting this bill.
- And then I immediately, out of habit, start picking my appearance apart.
- And from this incredible treasure trove of information, we've been able to really pick apart things that no one else has managed to do on this scale at all.
- The car and phone evidence will be mercilessly attacked and picked apart at trial, as will the one minuscule spot of touch DNA on the knife sheath.
- And it's, it's a way to kind of pick apart the like the weaknesses and the scaffolding that is holding up whatever emotion is about to drive you crazy.
- That's fine dude, he's just picking apart right now.
- My general overall take that we can pick apart is they are over processing a bit.
- And people would of me just going on and on, like picking apart.
Examples
-
So, you're picking apart the style of my essay instead of the substance?
-
It's very easy to sit on the outside and pick apart their story.
-
And also trying to pick apart why adults treat children this way or that way.
-
I prefer to read my news; that way, I can pick apart the text at my leisure.
Blog text (6) -
I'm sure we'll really be picking this one apart in the next week.
Blog text (27) -
Others use scholarship to build up or pick apart a figure from the distant past.
Blog text (5) -
But when I read the paragraph below, I started picking apart your argument.
Blog text (1) -
It's one thing to look at someone's work and pick apart bias, but here there's none of that.
Blog text (12) -
Moreover, critical-thinking skills are developed when students pick apart its transmedia elements to figure out how the story is structured.
Academic text (2014) -
Critics love to pick apart movies for their plot holes and clichés.
Synonyms
701
3.3
To say what is wrong with someone or something
593
5.3
To criticize someone or something without a good reason
48
6.7
To give an opinion about a work such as a book or film to show its good and bad points
21
5.6
To criticize someone or something harshly
21
5.7
To complain about very small unimportant mistakes
15
4.4
To say something is wrong or not good, often about small things
5
4.3
To find and show weak points in an idea or plan
3
5.7
Keep finding small faults in someone or their ideas
1
7.2
To find and point out weak points in an idea, plan or argument
Antonyms
How Critical
1
8.0
- Informal
14
5.2
701
3.3
∞
1.8
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'pick' (remove pieces) + 'apart' (into pieces) create a clear image of taking something apart, which maps metaphorically onto closely examining and finding faults. Because the evaluative/critical sense is a figurative extension rather than fully compositional, a B1 learner might infer a sense of dismantling but would not reliably derive the precise 'criticize in detail' meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Pick apart comes from the image of pick and apart: taking something apart piece by piece to look closely at each part. So to pick apart an idea means 'to criticize' it by pointing out small faults in detail.