What is the word or idiom for a person who pays attention to small and unimportant things?

Question

We were reading a text in my English class and One of my students Lost the line. I pointed to the line we were reading and instead of following the text she said teacher you have beautiful nails. Now I am wondering if there’s an adjective, idiom or so which shows disapproval for

a person who pays attention to small and unimportant things ?

Would you like a word for someone that pays attention to trivial things at the expense of the important things? — marcellothearcane, Aug 06 '19 at 09:09
Over concentration on details can be a symptom of a learning disability. — Nigel J, Aug 06 '19 at 10:06
Possible duplicate of Is there a word or term to describe when someone focuses on a specific example, rather than the problem at large? — Weather Vane, Aug 06 '19 at 10:27
@Shorecoral - If you found any (one) of the answers helpful, please feel free to tick the gray checkmark next to the answer (it will turn green). — Justin, Aug 28 '19 at 18:31

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 06 '19 at 10:05

We could say that she -

cannot see the forest for the trees

fail to grasp the main issue because of over-attention to details.

OR

has gone off on a tangent

to pursue a somewhat related or irrelevant course while neglecting the main subject.

^{^{Source- http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/go+off+on+a+tangent}}

Hope this helps!

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 06 '19 at 15:06

1

One could be pedantic

One could be nitpicky.

One could be splitting hairs.

They have generally negative connotations.

Is it's a good thing then:

One could be paying attention to details.

One could be thorough.

One could be attentive.

answered Aug 06 '19 at 15:06

BanksySan

404

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 13 '19 at 23:25

0

In the context you gave you might say she is superficial. From Dictionary:

4.concerned with or comprehending only what is on the surface or obvious: a superficial observer.
5.shallow; not profound or thorough: a superficial writer.

answered Aug 13 '19 at 23:25

S Conroy

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What is the word or idiom for a person who pays attention to small and unimportant things?

3 Answers3