FINE-TOOTH COMB Definition & Meaning

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fine-tooth comb

[ fahyn-tooth ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a comb having narrow, closely set teeth.

fine-tooth comb

noun

a comb with fine teeth set closely together
go over with a fine-tooth comb or go over with a fine-toothed comb or go through with a fine-tooth comb or go through with a fine-toothed comb
to examine very thoroughly

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of fine-tooth comb¹

First recorded in 1830–40

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Idioms and Phrases

go over / through with a fine-tooth comb, to examine in close detail; search thoroughly; fine-comb:
The police went over the apartment with a fine-tooth comb.

More idioms and phrases containing fine-tooth comb

A method of searching or investigating in minute detail, as in He examined the figures with a fine-tooth comb but found no errors . The practice of using a comb with close-set teeth to comb out head lice was transferred to various kinds of investigation in the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Marling, who calls Owen’s preparation “ferocious,” recalls going over every scene “with a fine-tooth comb.”

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Any such deal would normally have to be accepted by all countries in a plenary session, where negotiators can go through the text with a fine-tooth comb, often leading to major arguments.

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“My father’s lawyers went through those rules with a fine-tooth comb.”

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“This is something we went through with a fine-tooth comb.”

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For once, nobody was in the least bit bothered about being ordered out of the car, bodies searched, vehicle and bags gone through with a fine-tooth comb.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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