Idiom Breakdown

count angels on pinheads

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Definition

To focus on obtaining the correct details of something which are largely irrelevant or unimportant.

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"…secondly, because it is thought to be wholly destructive, and “something has to be taught” — which is the equivalent of teaching people to count angels on pinheads when you no longer believe in the heavenly host and, thirdly, because it has seemed to be socialist in tone, direction and intention."
"It adds to the trend that law schools and law journals are no longer content to count angels on pinheads."
"It is not concerned with theological disputation; he does not count angels on pinheads."
"In requesting that a closer look be given to hypothetical thinking and its role in the solving of problems, I do not suggest that counting angels on pinheads is a fruitful educational exercise. Thinking about the actual is one aspect of analytical thinking."
"Connectedness is a requirement for higher education if our academic work is not to be merely the technological equivalent of counting angels on pinheads."
"Such assertions are motivated by the desire to leave the independent-particle model in place as the central paradigm in nuclear theory, but they inadvertently push theoretical nuclear physics in the direction of counting angels on pinheads: “Sure they’re there! It’s just that there aren’t any observable implications of their celestial presence!”"

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