rivet counter

Meanings:

• 1.

  United KingdomUnited Statesinformaljargonpejorative
  • A person who pays obsessive attention to trivial technical details, especially in engineering, restoration, or hobbyist contexts.
  • A pedant or nitpicker who insists on strict adherence to minor specifications or historical accuracy.

• 2.

  United KingdomUnited Statesliteraltechnical
  • Historically, a person who literally counts or inspects rivets as part of quality control or maintenance (rare; often used metaphorically).