pick over

Idioms  

1. Sort out, examine item by item, as in Dad hates to pick over the beans one by one. This term is sometimes put as picked over, describing something that has already been selected from (as in They have almost nothing left; the stock of bathing suits has been picked over). [First half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pick over

As demand waned in the following years, companies conducted mass layoffs, leading private-equity firms to swoop in to pick over the remains of distressed assets.

From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026

Andy Christie's late try for Saracens was disallowed for an infringement in the build-up, as Mark McCall's men were left to pick over the pieces of a chastening afternoon.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2023

Even though Allen lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in their head-to-head matchup, Simms still believes Allen is the pick over the former Super Bowl MVP.

From Fox News ● Mar. 6, 2022

As tens of thousands of athletes, journalists and officials get ready to pack up and leave Monday, Japan will be left to pick over the answers to these questions, maybe for years.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2021

For the rest of the day she remained in the kitchen, unable to watch the miscellaneous horde of yard sale scavengers pick over her personal possessions.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides