Used mainly in sewing or knitting; it implies correcting a mistake or redoing work. After spotting a dropped stitch, she had to unpick two rows of her knitting.
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Metaphoric Use
Sometimes used metaphorically to mean reversing or opening up something established. They began to unpick the old policies to introduce new reforms.
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Precision Needed
Unpicking requires careful work to avoid damage, implies a delicate and thoughtful process. He used tweezers to unpick the delicate embroidery.