tooth-comb

A woman uses a tooth-comb to style her long, black hair.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A fine-toothed comb; a comb with closely spaced teeth, used for removing lice or for very precise grooming.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She used a tooth-comb to carefully remove the tangles from her hair. (A fine-toothed comb for detailed grooming.)
  • The archaeologist examined the ancient tooth-comb found in the burial site. (A historical artifact used for personal care.)

Advanced Usage

• "to go through something with a fine-tooth comb" (also "fine-tooth comb"): to examine something very carefully and thoroughly.
  • The police went through the evidence with a fine-tooth comb. (They examined every detail meticulously.)
  • She went through her essay with a fine-tooth comb to catch any spelling mistakes. (She checked every word for errors.)

Variants and Related Words

• Fine-tooth comb (n): a comb with teeth set very close together; also used idiomatically as above.
  • He used a fine-tooth comb to remove the lice from the child's hair. (A comb with closely spaced teeth.)
• Comb (n): a strip of plastic, metal, or wood with a row of teeth, used for untangling or arranging hair.
  • She brushed her hair with a wide-tooth comb. (A comb with widely spaced teeth.)

Synonyms

• Fine-toothed comb: another term for tooth-comb, emphasizing the close spacing.
• Nit comb: a type of tooth-comb specifically designed to remove nits (lice eggs).

Idioms

• Go over with a fine-tooth comb: to examine something very thoroughly.
  • The accountant went over the financial records with a fine-tooth comb. (He checked every detail for errors.)

Phrasal Verbs

• (None directly associated; the term "tooth-comb" is used as a noun or in the idiomatic phrase "go through with a fine-tooth comb.")

Related Idioms

• Comb through: to search or examine something thoroughly.
  • The detectives combed through the area for clues. (They searched the area meticulously.)