go over with a fine-tooth(ed) comb

To examine or search thoroughly

fine¹ /fīn/

1. Excellent (often ironic)
2. Beautiful or handsome
3. Not coarse or heavy
4. Consisting of small particles
5. Subtle
6. Slender
7. Sharp
8. Keen
9. Exquisite
10. Nice
11. Delicate
12. Sensitive
13. Over-refined
14. Over-elaborate (obsolete)
15. Pretentious (obsolete)
16. Showy
17. Splendid
18. Striking or remarkable
19. Egregious, distinguished (archaic)
20. Pure
21. Refined
22. Containing so many parts of pure metal out of twenty-four (as 22 carats, or ounces, fine, 22/24 gold or silver), or out of a thousand

1. To make fine
2. To refine
3. To purify
4. To change by imperceptible degrees (esp with away or down)

1. At a more acute angle with the line of flight of the ball (eg fine leg)
2. (of a snooker, etc stroke) making very slight contact

1. Well or well enough (informal)
2. Narrowly
3. With little to spare
4. Into fine pieces

fineˈish (also fīnˈish) adjective

Somewhat fine

fineˈly adverb

fineˈness noun

1. State, fact or degree of being fine
2. State of subdivision
3. (of gold or silver) number of parts in a thousand

finˈer noun

A refiner

finˈery noun

1. Splendour
2. Showy adornments
3. A place where anything is fined or refined
4. A furnace for making iron malleable

fines plural noun

Material (ore, coal, etc) in a fine state of division, separated out by screening

fīnˈing noun

1. The process of refining or purifying
2. (often in pl) a clarifying agent (wine-making)

fine art or fine arts see under art¹

fine chemicals plural noun

Chemicals produced in small quantities usu of high purity, opp to heavy chemicals

fineˈ-draw transitive verb

1. To draw or sew up so finely that no seam can be seen
2. To draw out finely or too finely

fineˈ-drawn adjective

fine gentleman or fine lady noun

An idle person, usu ostentatiously fashionable, sometimes refined

fine leg noun (cricket)

A fielder, or a fielding position, on the legside boundary at a more acute angle to the batsman than long leg

fine metal noun

Comparatively pure cuprous sulphide obtained from coarse metal

fine print same as small print (see under small).

fineˈ-spoken adjective

Using fine phrases

fineˈspun adjective

1. Finely spun out
2. Over-subtle

fine-tooth comb , fine-toothed comb or fine comb noun

A comb with slender teeth set close together

fine-tuneˈ transitive verb

To make delicate adjustments to

fine-tunˈing noun

fine writing noun

Literary matter or style which is pretentiously ornate

fīnˈing-pot noun

A vessel used in refining

cut it fine

To do something with little time or space to spare

go over or through with a fine-tooth (or fine-toothed) comb

To investigate very thoroughly