pick at

toquetearse

picotear

pick at(pihk aht)

transitive verb phrase

1. (to try to pull)

a. toquetearse

Stop picking at your spots! They'll get infected!

¡Deja de toquetearte los granos! ¡Se te van a infectar!

b. tocarse

Diana picked at her scab until it started to bleed.

Diana se tocó la costra hasta que empezó a sangrar.

2. (to eat sparingly)

a. picotear

For a week after surgery, John merely picked at his food.

Durante una semana después de la cirugía, John apenas picoteaba la comida.

b. juguetear con

When they start eating solids, babies often just pick at food for some days.

Cuando empiezan a comer alimentos sólidos, muchas veces los bebés solo juguetean con la comida por unos días.

c. picar

She hardly picked at her food, and then she went to bed.

Apenas picó algo de su comida y se fue a dormir.

3.

(colloquial)

(to pester)

a. meterse con

If those kids keep on picking at you, I'll have to speak to the principal.

Si esos chicos siguen metiéndose contigo, voy a tener que hablar con la directora.

b. criticar

Peter seemingly could never get anything right in his mother's eyes. She was always picking at him.

Al parecer Peter nunca podía hacer nada bien a los ojos de su madre. Siempre lo criticaba.

c. encontrarle faltas a

Don't try to pick at everything your children like!

¡No trates de encontrarles faltas a todo lo que les gusta a tus hijos!

pick at

intransitive verb

1 (toy with)

try not to pick at your spots intenta no toquetearte las espinillas

he was picking at a scab on his knee the bird picked at the bread he stood there picking at my coat sleeve she picked at her nails nervously she began to pick at something stuck to the sole of her shoe /chickens pick at the dirt/ among rows of idle machinery he picked at the threads of the quilt

to pick at one's food comer con poca gana; picar la comida

Sarah picked at a plate of cheese for supper, but she wasn't hungry Caine was picking morosely at his salad Seaton barely picked at the delicious roast chicken one lunchtime we sat around picking at an unappetising looking stew

2 (criticize)

she used to pick at everything solía meterse con todo or ponerle faltas a todo

Let me run through the plan first, Michael, then you can pick at it as much as you want he was always looking for small ways to pick at her work and put her down

3 (US)

pick