Here's a question for you
The phrase "go through it with a fine tooth comb"

I've always thought that it was a "fine-toothed comb" i.e. a comb with fine teeth

Recently I have been noticing people saying it "fine tooth-comb" with the emphasis and inflection indicating a tooth-comb that is fine.

This seems wrong to me.

Give me your opinions.

edit: I notice that contrary to the subject line, none of this poses an actual question.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:04, 29 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

I know what you mean...

Fine? as in 'that girl is mighty fine', or fine as in 'small and thin'

tooth-comb? Why the blithering fuckboils would somebody want to 'comb' their teeth?

So I agree with you. I think it is 'fine-toothed comb', and the ignorant fuckers who have misheard the actual usage have become so many that they are overpowering the accurate.

...and thanks for bringing up another pet hate of mine.
( Pooflake braces for an onslaught..., Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:10, Reply)

Agreed
It's fine-toothed comb. Why would you want to comb your teeth?

Not quite as irritating as 'to all intensive purposes', but close.
(Son of Sam-i-am We're all as mad as hatters here, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:11, Reply)

Actually
they're both listed in the dictionary!

www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/finetoothcomb?view=uk

www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/toothcomb?view=uk

Although it does say that the second one's a mistake, it seems it is regarded as common usage.

People are fuckwits!
(Son of Sam-i-am We're all as mad as hatters here, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:13, Reply)

there's a word for it
They're called eggcorns.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggcorn
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:15, Reply)

Nice
Never heard that, interesting!
(Son of Sam-i-am We're all as mad as hatters here, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:17, Reply)

I had been wondering
if tooth-comb was an old fashioned way of referring to a comb for one's hair

but I thought the more likely explanation was that these people were just wrong.

It's becoming increasingly prevalent though.

I hate stupidity. and things that don't make sense
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:19, Reply)

OMG!
I've died and joined the thread of hell.
( girlinthehole, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 12:52, Reply)

In my humble, and usually correct, opinion
I would say that it was not in fact a fine tooth-comb, but a fine-tooth comb. This would mean a comb with fine teeth.

That's just what I think though.
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 13:05, Reply)

Fine as in 'nice', or fine as in 'thin'?
Does not using the former give you ugly hair?

As in, "She fell out of the ugly tree, hit every branch on the way down, landed in the fat pond, then a goat went to work on her with an ugly-tooth comb and a bat"
(MrOli is ugly, but in the morning you will be sober, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 13:18, Reply)

It is actually
A fine Toothed Comb.

A comb with teeth very close together, similar to a nit comb.
(Herr Doktor Lemminge Is bored, so cheer me up!, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 13:47, Reply)

It's
for people with hairy teeth - there's a whole facebook group associated with it ('my teeth are so hairy I have to shave them').
( ascorbate, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 13:51, Reply)

@Maudlin
I don't think it rates as a eggcorn (which is a bloody stupid word anyway); as one of the characteristics of those is that they should make sense on some level.

Tooth combs do not exist. Toothbrushes do, but I don't think they're for styling.

Vipros is right and people are dumb too unquestioning with regard to language.
(ThomsonsPier consumes, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 14:45, Reply)

people are stupid
other things that annoy me:

"If you think [whatever], you've got another thing coming". IT'S "THINK". THAT'S WHY IT SAYS "THINK" IN THE FIRST BIT.

"Paraletic". "PARALETIC" IS NOT A FUCKING CUNTING WORD. IT'S PARALYTIC. AS IN PARALYSE. YOU FUCKING SHIT FOR BRAINS MORONS.

Sorry, I had 3 pints at lunch.
(Binary Solo loves a bit of algebra, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 14:46, Reply)

OH also
"formally" when you mean "formerly". NNNGH
(Binary Solo loves a bit of algebra, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 14:54, Reply)

At the end of the day,
you should turn around and tell them that, more importantly, there a cunt.

(Three pints of Wife Beater? Play nice now... ;-) )
(MrOli is ugly, but in the morning you will be sober, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 14:58, Reply)

nah
Strongbow :) probably worse...
(Binary Solo loves a bit of algebra, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 14:59, Reply)

Misuse of "literally" must be the funniest thing though
"He is so old he is LITERALLY a dinosaur"

"That film was so bad my eyes are LITERALLY bleeding"
(Binary Solo loves a bit of algebra, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 15:05, Reply)

the use of literally is at least amusing
my other half occasionally says things like that, and I've had to learn not to say anything because she gets cross....

@BinarySolo: not sure what you are getting at with your thing/think comments

"you've got another thing coming" is a legitimate phrase, is it not?

edit: hmm, the internet is fairly unenlightening on that front. Saying another think coming doesn't seem right to me, as think is a verb....
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 15:14, Reply)

but it makes no sense
"if you think x, you've got another thing coming"? Why would you say that? Obviously grammatically it should be "thought", but it is "think", and has been misheard as "thing".
(Binary Solo loves a bit of algebra, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 15:39, Reply)

And now I have something to waste the rest of my afternoon with
trying to find out where the phrase originated...
(Binary Solo loves a bit of algebra, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 15:49, Reply)

it seems like it makes sense to me
like, if you think x then you are going to get your comeuppance.

you've got a slap round the face coming for instance
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 15:50, Reply)

but why would it be "another thing coming"?
why not "something else coming"? or "a slap round the face coming", as you put it?
(Binary Solo loves a bit of algebra, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 15:54, Reply)

because there is no specific thing coming
it's an open-ended threat

I'm perfectly willing to concede that you are right but the bad use of the language in "another think coming" just doesn't ring true.

similarly, by your rationale, why wouldn't it be "another thought coming" there's no reason for it to be think, and that makes less sense to me than some undisclosed thing.

edit: My recent research has led me to believe that think is the original and correct, with earlier citations, and that the bad grammar is deliberate, which is perfectly understandable.

I don't like it though, and I maintain that the thing variant can make sense if considered in the way I have outlined above.

now I am going home
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 15:59, Reply)

Because it's "think" in the first bit
It's a cutesy reworking of the language.
Google results seem to mostly agree with me, but I can't find any evidence for where/when the phrase actually started.
(Binary Solo loves a bit of algebra, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 16:07, Reply)

sorry for the additional edits to my post above
here's the best and earliest example of both that I've found

The Syracuse Herald, August 1919:

"If you think the life of a movie star is all sunshine and flowers you've got another thing coming."

That paper's local rival, The Syracuse Standard, outdoes that by several years, by printing the 'think' version in May 1898:

"Conroy lives in Troy and thinks he is a coming fighter. This gentleman has another think coming. It is probable that McCoy will next meet Joe Choynski."
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 16:09, Reply)

Hmm
It's not as clear-cut as I thought, obviously. I retract my implication that people who use "thing" are stupid. But I still believe "think" is correct.

And people who say "paraletic" are still stupid.
(Binary Solo loves a bit of algebra, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 16:15, Reply)

Your mum's got another thing coming
;-)
(MrOli is ugly, but in the morning you will be sober, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 16:22, Reply)

I have been swayed to your argument that think is correct
your other points are all above reproach
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 16:42, Reply)

I just read through the examples of 'eggcorn'
on wikipedia.

I cannot believe how fucking stupid some people are. TOW the line? The SPURT of the moment?! FFS!

Fuckwits.
(Colonel Santiago Introduced surprised kitty to the world., Fri 21 Nov 2008, 17:17, Reply)