Things I learnt today

[HHTel]

Today I learned that the thread should have read "learned"

Both learnt and learned are correct. Learnt is more common in British grammar while learned is more common in American grammar.

[hhfarang]

^ I just learnt or learned that!

[richard]

^ 'that'll learn yer'

Note: 'learn' mean 'teach' in English slang

[dtaai-maai]

I didn't learn this today, but I do remember learning many years ago, with considerable relief, that there was no such thing as a fine tooth-comb...

[HHTel]

I didn't learn this today, but I do remember learning many years ago, with considerable relief, that there was no such thing as a fine tooth-comb...

Yes there is!

[dtaai-maai]

I didn't learn this today, but I do remember learning many years ago, with considerable relief, that there was no such thing as a fine tooth-comb...

Yes there is!

Don't leave it there - enlighten me!

[HHTel]

Apart from the use of the phrase in a search, a fine tooth comb or fine toothed comb is a comb that have the teeth set close together. An example would be a 'nit comb'

[dtaai-maai]

Yes, a fine-toothed comb.
As opposed to a splendid tool for combing your teeth: a fine tooth-comb.

[HHTel]

You'll find both 'fine tooth comb' and 'fine toothed comb' in the dictionary. Both are the same.

[dtaai-maai]

This was meant to be a light-hearted throwaway comment about frequently misunderstood terms.

Let me explain exactly what I mean, then perhaps we can move on.

If you listen carefully to people using this phrase, some say 'fine-tooth(ed) comb' (with the stress on the underlined word) which is correct, while others say 'fine tooth-comb' which is incorrect. The placement of the hyphen is also crucial to the (trivial) point I'm making.

You shouldn't find the terms 'fine tooth comb' or 'fine tooth-comb' in any dictionary. You will find 'fine-tooth(ed) comb' in all of them.

Over and out.

[HHTel]

Definition of fine-tooth comb in English:

fine-tooth comb
Line breaks: fine-tooth comb
Pronunciation: 



(also fine-toothed comb)
noun


1A comb with narrow teeth that are close together.

Not wanting to sound pedantic, (okay I'll be pedantic) the above is from the 'Oxford English Dictionary' and is replicated in other main dictionaries. I learnt a long time ago and I would have thought you would have learned too.

[dtaai-maai]

You're missing the point entirely. Never mind.

[richard]

Nit picking?

[pharvey]

Where did "Piss Poor" come from? Interesting Story.

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot. And then once it was full it was taken and sold to the tannery...
If you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor", but worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot...

They "didn't have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low.

[dtaai-maai]

I was about to post that I'd just learned that the expression 'so long' was introduced to English by soldiers returning from Malaysia, where they used a similar sounding word which derives from 'salaam'.

What I have in fact learned is that no one is quite sure of the origin of this expression, although there are several theories.