fine-tooth comb
a comb having narrow, closely set teeth.
Idioms about fine-tooth comb
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.
Origin of fine-tooth comb
1- Also fine-toothed comb [fahyn-tootht, -toothd]. /ˈfaɪnˌtuθt, -ˌtuðd/.
Words Nearby fine-tooth comb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use fine-tooth comb in a sentence
Make sure your contractor is taking precise measurements, as the insurance company will go through the quote with a fine-tooth comb to find any discrepancies.
What to do when your house floods | Joseph Hudson and Alex Phillips | September 6, 2021 | Washington BladeWe’ve gone over our code with a fine-tooth comb, overhauling the most important parts and ditching outdated bits.
A New Article Page Design at ProPublica | by ProPublica’s Design and Platform Team | March 23, 2021 | ProPublicaHow does it feel when every year your home electric bill in Tennessee is gone over with a fine tooth comb?
Then—still on the way to harbor—a really fine-tooth-comb examination of the ship began.
The Invaders | William Fitzgerald JenkinsYou could rake all hell with a fine-tooth comb and not find a worse man to try you—if you killed Adam Forbes.
Stepsons of Light | Eugene Manlove Rhodes
The only way to close the books on this matter fast is to cover the city with a fine-tooth comb.
The Syndic | C.M. KornbluthDip an old tooth-brush lightly into the ink, and, holding it over the cardboard, rub the bristles gently across a fine tooth comb.
What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes | Dorothy Canfield FisherSometimes it is more easy to find them on a fine-tooth comb passed through the hair.
British Dictionary definitions for fine-tooth comb
a comb with fine teeth set closely together
go over with a fine-tooth comb, go over with a fine-toothed comb, go through with a fine-tooth comb or go through with a fine-toothed comb to examine very thoroughly
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with 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.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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