Adjacent Words

fine-tooth comb definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a comb with teeth set close together [syn: fine-tooth comb, fine-toothed comb]
2: a method of examining in minute detail; "he went over the contract with a fine-tooth comb looking for loopholes" [syn: fine-tooth comb, fine-toothed comb]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1836 1. a comb with close-set teeth used especially for clearing parasites or foreign matter from the hair 2. an attitude or system of thorough searching or scrutinizing <went over the report with a fine-tooth comb>

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

also fine tooth comb If you say that you will go over something with a fine-tooth comb or go through something with a fine-tooth comb, you are emphasizing that you will search it thoroughly or examine it very carefully. PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis]