[ adj ] (informal) small and of little importance <adj.all> a fiddling sum of moneya footling gesture our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war a little (or small) matter a dispute over niggling details limited to petty enterprises piffling efforts giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction
Picayune \Pic`a*yune"\, n. [From the language of the Caribs.] A small coin of the value of six and a quarter cents. See {Fippenny bit}. [Local, U.S.]
Mr. Singer's thesis is deliberately large-scale, and it would be picayune to criticize him on details.
That angers the American shift supervisors, who view such criticism as picayune.