Legal Definitions - de lana caprina (rixari)

The Latin phrase de lana caprina (rixari) describes a situation where individuals or parties engage in a dispute, argument, or contention over something utterly trivial, insignificant, or without any real importance. It refers to squabbling about matters that are so minor they are not worth the time or effort spent debating them.

• Example 1: During a critical business negotiation between two companies, the legal teams spent an entire day locked in a heated debate over the precise font size and color of the disclaimer text in a lengthy contract, while the core financial terms and intellectual property clauses remained largely undiscussed.

  Explanation: This scenario illustrates de lana caprina (rixari) because the lawyers are intensely disputing a minor aesthetic detail (font size and color) that has no substantive impact on the agreement's legal or financial implications, diverting valuable time and resources from the truly important aspects of the negotiation.

• Example 2: At a family gathering, two siblings became embroiled in a passionate argument lasting over an hour about whether a particular anecdote from their childhood happened in the summer of 1998 or 1999, completely overshadowing the celebration of their parents' anniversary.

  Explanation: This is an example of de lana caprina (rixari) because the siblings are expending significant emotional energy and time on a trivial factual discrepancy that holds no real consequence, especially in the context of a family celebration.

• Example 3: A city council meeting, intended to discuss the annual budget and infrastructure projects, devolved into a lengthy and acrimonious debate among council members about the exact placement of a single decorative planter on a newly renovated public square.

  Explanation: Here, the council members are engaging in de lana caprina (rixari) by focusing their collective attention and debate on an insignificant aesthetic detail (planter placement) instead of addressing the much more substantial and impactful issues of the city's budget and infrastructure.