fine-toothed rake
- noun
- She used a fine-toothed rake to clear the small debris from the lawn.
Examples
-
She used a fine-toothed rake to gather leaves.
-
After trimming the hedge, he gathered the clippings with a fine-toothed rake.
-
The gardener prefers a fine-toothed rake for collecting delicate leaves.
-
The gardener always prefers using a fine-toothed rake.
-
She used a fine-toothed rake to clear the small debris from the lawn.
-
After trimming the hedge, he gathered the clippings with a fine-toothed rake.
-
The gardener prefers a fine-toothed rake for collecting delicate leaves.
Synonyms
A long-handled tool with a row of teeth used to gather leaves and loosen soil
A tool with a long handle and a bar with teeth for gathering leaves or smoothing soil
A small hand tool with short teeth for loosening soil and gathering leaves
How Fine-Toothed
Surface Forms
Morphology
fine-toothed + rake
The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'fine-toothed' describes the rake's teeth as fine/closely spaced, and combined with 'rake' yields the literal meaning 'a rake with closely spaced teeth.' This is a common adjectival + noun descriptive pattern (transparent across many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings would understand it.
Etymology
The compound noun fine-toothed rake comes from the clear image of a rake whose teeth are very close together, like the teeth of a comb. Because those tight teeth catch small leaves and fine bits, the name now means 'a rake for gathering small debris'.