Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - technicality

~ n 1 technicalities details of a system or process that you need a special knowledge to understand  (Can you explain the technicalities of laser printing?) 2 a small detail in a law or a set of rules, especially one that forces you to make a decision that seems unfair  (A legal technicality meant Tollitt had to be released, although the evidence was against him. | on a technicality (=only because of a technicality))  (Wild lost the competition on a technicality.)