fine-toothed comb
2
4.1
- noun
- Informal
:
revisión minuciosa
- "I want you to understand that we've been through all your numbers with a fine-toothed comb, and I've discounted the bullshit inventory."
Examples
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To ensure the quality of the software, the team reviewed the code with a fine-toothed comb before the launch.
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Go over that beach with a fine-toothed comb.
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Open it up and go through it with a fine-toothed comb.
Blog text (23) -
You know, Scotland Yard went over the whole estate with a fine-toothed comb, who knows what really happened here?
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Read every word and go over ads and descriptions with a fine-toothed comb.
Blog text (10) -
Because peer review generally means that several people have gone through your analysis with a fine-toothed comb, looking for errors and suggesting changes and improvements.
Blog text (4) -
" I've been over this truck with a fine-toothed comb and it's not bugged." "Why am I driving you to the airport?" Jenny asked.
Fiction book (1994) -
The editor examined the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb to catch any remaining typos.
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Before submitting the report, she went through it with a fine-toothed comb to identify any errors.
Synonyms
168
5.5
A close, careful look at something to find mistakes or problems
110
2.3
Careful study of something to find problems or details
7
4.3
A careful search that finds small mistakes or details
A careful, detailed check of a document or record to find small errors
A careful look at small parts to find tiny differences
A careful, close look at something to find small details
A careful study of something in detail to understand it
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Morphology
fine-toothed + comb
The phrase evokes a clear visual: a comb with closely spaced ('fine-toothed') teeth used to pick through things, so combining 'fine-toothed' and 'comb' naturally suggests searching or examining very carefully. This compositional, image-based mapping is directly inferable from the constituents, so a B1 learner who knows the words can derive the meaning.
Etymology
Fine-toothed comb comes from that literal tool: to look at something with a fine-toothed comb is to pick out the smallest details, so the phrase means 'to check something very carefully'.