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Glite Dictionary
fine as frog hair

fine as frog hair

9.9
Very small, delicate, and of excellent quality
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : excelente
  • He told his friend the new computer was running fine as frog hair.

Examples

  • The fabric is fine as frog hair and feels luxurious.

  • After a full night's sleep, I felt fine as frog hair and ready to start the day.

  • The craftsmen's work on the furniture was fine as frog hair.

  • Is this dress really fine as frog hair?

  • This silk feels as fine as frog hair; it's incredibly soft and smooth.

  • The chef's attention to detail makes every dish taste fine as frog hair.

  • Her handmade jewelry is fine as frog hair, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship.

Synonyms

fine
vsfine as frog hair
252 1.0

Has very small particles so it feels smooth

is a more emphatic term meaning very delicate or excellent
silky
vsfine as frog hair
37 1.0

Smooth and soft to touch like fine cloth

describes texture of softness and shine rather than extreme fineness
superfine
vsfine as frog hair
1 5.3

Very high quality and delicate, often used for cloth or food

is informal and chiefly used in casual American speech
fine-grained
vsfine as frog hair
1 4.4

Contains very small, closely packed particles that make it feel smooth like fine sugar

is about extreme thinness or excellence rather than particle size
fine-textured
vsfine as frog hair
1 4.6

Has very small parts that make a smooth surface, like hair or flour

focuses on extreme delicacy or excellence rather than just texture
as fine as Dick's hatband
vsfine as frog hair
  • UK
9.9

Looks very smart and attractive

is more about delicate or outstanding quality than showy appearance

Antonyms

coarse
26 3.7

A surface like sand or rough cloth that has large grains and is not smooth

Surface Forms

fine as frog hair positive

Morphology

fine + as + frog + hair

There is a partial cueing: 'hair' evokes thinness/fineness so a learner could infer a meaning like 'very fine', but the specific image 'frog hair' is biologically odd and culturally humorous/regional, so the conventional sense 'extremely fine/delicate' is not fully predictable from the parts. Because the phrase relies on idiomatic, cultural knowledge and a playful impossibility, it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Fine as frog hair comes from a funny image: frogs don't have hair, so frog hair would be almost invisible and very thin. That's why people use it to mean 'extremely fine' or 'excellent'.