toothcomb
/ˈtuːθkəʊm
/noun British
Used with reference to a very thorough search or analysis of something: Cropper will have been through the manuscript with a toothcomb the boys have been over the area with a fine toothcomb...
- The Guardian's Book Review has a review of his new biography of the grumpiest man in popular music, which advises you to snap it up quick before Van's solicitors run their toothcombs over it.
- And even those who have gone through the figures with a fine fiscal toothcomb are still unsure that they can work out how it will all work.
Usage
The forms toothcomb and fine toothcomb arose from a misreading of the compound noun fine-tooth comb, a comb with closely spaced teeth. However, in modern use all the forms are accepted in standard English.
- to keep the home fires burning
- Tokelau
- Tokelauan
- token
- tokenise
- tokenism
- tokenist
- tokenistic
- tokenize
- token money
- token ring
- toker
- to kingdom come
- tokkin
- tokkin fund
- Toklas, Alice B.
- to know a good thing when one sees it
- to know a hawk from a hernshaw
- tokoloshe
- tokonoma
- tokotoko
- Tok Pisin
- tok-tokkie
- Tokugawa
- Tokyo