Fine tooth/toothed comb

[c00ky83]

You know people say they'll go through something with a "fine-toothed comb", meaning to examine it thoroughly.  I presume this is the correct phrase?  So many people, even on TV, say "fine tooth-comb".  What the hell is a "tooth-comb"?

[jno]

Well, you know how you sometimes find a hair in your mouth...

[Quizmonster]

The earliest recorded version of this - dating back to the early 19th century - was in the form 'fine-tooth comb' rather than 'toothed'. It also sometimes appeared with a double hyphen, as 'fine-tooth-comb'. I can't honestly say I've ever heard anyone say it in the way you suggest...ie minus the hyphen between 'fine' and 'tooth'. It's an interesting concept, though...a tooth-comb!

[silly moo]

It's also known as a nit comb.
Teeth are so close together that the nits (eggs of head lice) can be combed out.
Ugh.

[Litchick]

The little "sticks" that a comb are made of are called teeth and there are different space measurements in different combs.  On a botle of conditioner it sometimes says to use a "wide tooth comb" -- meaning the conditioner will cover more surface area on your head.  With a fine toothed comb, you can look at smaller areas more specifically -- as when you are looking for lice.  Something like that....

[wvaleriechas]

SillyMoo is spot on. After treatment for head lice which kills the lice but not the nits a fine toothed comb will remove the nits from the hair & so prevent reinfestation when the nits hatch out. I thought this condition had died out long ago but obviously they are still around.

Spinner.

[LitChick]

Forgot to add that in the "fine" refers to the space between the "teeth."  They are closer.

[bernardo]

It might make more sense if you think of it as a
fine-hyphen-tooth space comb rather than a
fine space tooth-hyphen-comb.

[LitChick]

THANK YOU BERNARDO!!!  I'm having a bit of jumble mouth today and was having trouble communicating my answer.  Thanks again!  :)

[Octavius]

A tooth comb is just a comb (with teeth) a finer tooth-comb would be a nit-comb which also has teeth.

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[Octavius]

You've got me all-mixed-up with my hy-phens now

[Peter Pedant]

The thingeys are closer together in a fine tooth comb

[rojash]

Surely Peter Pedant, the thingeys are closer together in a fine-thingey comb...

[Artful]

Okay, okay. But what other sorts of combs are there? I thought they all had teeth (finely spaced or widely spaced) and if they didn't have teeth they wouldn't work as a comb...