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

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

You can pick over the entrails of the inflation numbers looking for bad omens, but I’m ever less convinced that anybody, myself included, understands inflation well enough to do this in a useful way.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2022

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

Drafting Chase with the fifth pick over left tackle Penei Sewell, who went seventh, to Detroit, has proved a franchise-altering decision.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2022

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