fine-tooth comb
To comb or go through with a comb having fine, closely spaced teethTo comb or go through (hair, an animal's fur, etc.) with a comb having fine, closely spaced teeth.
Translations
5 languagesMeaning
2 senses(figuratively, transitive)To search (something or somewhere) meticulously.
unter die Lupe nehmen
прочёсыватьpročósyvatʹ, прочеса́тьpročesátʹ
(dated, transitive)To comb or go through (hair, an animal's fur, etc.) with a comb having fine, closely spaced teeth.
Origin
The noun is derived from fine (“particularly slender”) + tooth (“sharp projection”) + combThe noun is derived from fine (“particularly slender”) + tooth (“sharp projection”) + comb. The verb is derived from the noun.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
fine-tooth combs, fine-tooth combing, fine-tooth combed, fine-tooth combedregular
| Base form | fine-tooth comb · to fine-tooth comb |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | fine-tooth combs |
| Present participle | fine-tooth combing |
| Past simple | fine-tooth combed |
| Past participle | fine-tooth combed |
Tenses
fine-tooth comb · fine-tooth combed · will fine-tooth comb · have fine-tooth combedPoint at a form to see it in a sentence.Tap a form to see it in a sentence.
Synonyms
6 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.