fine-tooth comb
7
4.3
- noun
- /faɪn tuːθ koʊm/
- Informal
:
revisión minuciosa
- We reviewed the contract with a fine-tooth comb to find any hidden clauses.
So what gets published has really been gone over with a fine tooth comb.
- So what gets published has really been gone over with a fine tooth comb.
- There was no Charlie because that crime scene went over with a fine tooth comb, no evidence of any other person there.
- And he went through my case with a fine tooth comb, like every like my pants.
Examples
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The ledgers were gone over with a fine-tooth comb.
Fiction book (1994) -
I really looked; I've gone over the whole house with a fine-tooth comb, even the closets, and checked the windows and basement door; they're locked tight as a drum.
Fiction book (1999) -
There was no Charlie because that crime scene went over with a fine tooth comb, no evidence of any other person there.
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You got to go in there with a fine tooth comb and a bunch of people got to check on that manufacturing process.
-
Finally, go through your course with a fine-tooth comb.
Academic text (2014) -
"Make sure you go through this with your broker with a fine-tooth comb," says Arnold.
Blog text (26) -
If the CIR comes down the pike, we need to go over the law with a fine-tooth comb.
Blog text (15) -
Thanks for the post. Everyone needs to have their book edited. Now line editing is another story. I found it prohibitively expensive, and so my husband and I went through the MS with a fine-tooth comb before publishing.
Blog text (28) -
The point is, be willing to examine every aspect of it with a fine-tooth comb and evaluate if the information provided is value-adding for your potential readers.
Blog text (14) -
The detective examined the evidence with a fine-tooth comb to ensure nothing was overlooked.
Synonyms
6
4.2
Look through something very carefully to find small mistakes
2
4.1
A very careful check of something to find small errors
A careful look at small parts to find tiny differences
A careful, detailed check of a document or record to find small errors
To do something very carefully and check every small detail
Antonyms
How Closely
Surface Forms
Morphology
fine-tooth + comb
Literally the phrase describes a comb with 'fine' (small/closely spaced) 'teeth', so a learner who knows the component words can infer a tool for catching small details. The idiomatic use meaning 'examine closely' is a metaphorical extension of that literal image — partially inferable from the constituents but not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The phrase fine-tooth comb comes from that small comb with very close teeth used to find tiny bits, so saying you looked at something with a fine-tooth comb means 'to examine very carefully'.