Crossword Genius

Find fault with hotel vent stuck in awkward position? (5,5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

split hairs

'find fault' is the definition.
(to split hairs is to find fault with something)

'hotel vent stuck in awkward position?' is the wordplay.
'hotel' becomes 'h' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'vent' becomes 'air' (synonyms).
'stuck in' is an insertion indicator.
'awkward position?' becomes 'splits' (as in doing the splits).
'h'+'air'='hair'
'hair' put into 'splits' is 'SPLIT HAIRS'.

'with' is the link.

(Other definitions for split hairs that I've seen before include "a trichologist may deal with" , "Make pedantic distinctions" , "Quibble" , "cavil exceedingly" , "Make petty distinctions" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.