Buscar tres pies al gato

poli · #1 January 06, 2010, 03:02 PM

Does anyone know the meaning?

chileno · #2 January 06, 2010, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poli

Does anyone know the meaning?

Look for troubles... for the complicated part of something.

ROBINDESBOIS · #3 January 06, 2010, 03:39 PM

To split hairs

**AngelicaDeAlquezar** · #4 January 06, 2010, 03:54 PM

It's to look for the way of complicating simple things. One knows the cat has four feet, so, trying to find only three is absurd.

**Rusty** · #5 January 06, 2010, 07:33 PM

Look here.

ROBINDESBOIS · #6 January 07, 2010, 09:34 AM

Don´t you use to split hairs in America?

poli · #7 January 07, 2010, 09:43 AM

Yes, we do. I means a frustrating argument over things that do not matter.

ROBINDESBOIS · #8 January 07, 2010, 09:48 AM

According to my dictionary to split hairs means buscar tres pies al gato.

chileno · #9 January 07, 2010, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poli

Yes, we do. I means a frustrating argument over things that do not matter.

That's how I understand it. Would it also mean to be looking at things in complicated ways or where is a potential problem?

poli · #10 January 07, 2010, 09:59 AM

I think buscando tres pies al gato would be like a malicious auditor looking
for the slightest transgression. Am I wrong?

An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not readily apparent based on the individual words in the expression. This forum is dedicated to discussing idioms and other sayings.