pick at

British  

verb

1. (intr, preposition) to make criticisms of in a niggling or petty manner

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pick at Idioms  

1. Pluck or pull at, especially with the fingers, as in She was always picking at her skirt with her nails . [1600s]

2. Eat sparingly and without appetite, as in He was just picking at his dinner . [Late 1500s]

3. Nag, badger, as in He's picking at me all day long . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1600s]

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Example Sentences

She picked at the wool, patted it, dug the needles into it, and then her fingers were flying, the yarn moving up and over one needle and across to the other.

From Literature

“One of the many perks of being you,” Elliot muttered, picking at the bark of the tree he was leaning against.

From Literature

The short video shows Mychelle in a hospital gown picking at a pastry, along with what appears to be a case for a portable breast pump in her lap.

From Los Angeles Times

The two spend the years picking at each other while secretly growing fond of the other’s company, though never able to act on their feelings due to the difference in their social status.

From Salon

Of course, Boritt had devoted much of that life, as a historian, to picking at one of the gnarliest scabs in American history.

From The Wall Street Journal