Significato: a fine kettle of fish

un bel pasticcio, una situazione imbarazzante

fine Idioma

a fine line

a close relationship, not much difference Sometimes there is a fine line between love and lust.

a fine-toothed comb

a careful search, a search for a detail She read the file carefully - went over it with a fine-toothed comb.

cut a fine figure

look very good in your clothes, look sharp When Dee was in her twenties she cut a fine figure in this fur jacket.

cut it a little fine

leave very little time, have just enough money After paying the rent we had only $60. This is cutting it a little fine.

fine-tooth comb

great care, careful attention so as not to miss anything We went over the room with a fine-tooth comb but were unable to find the missing credit card.

fine-toothed comb

(See a fine-toothed comb)

fine-tune

cause it to work very well, cause it to run smoothly Sandro fine-tuned my Peugeot. Now it purrs like a kitten.

put too fine a point on

be too precise, split hairs If you want to put too fine a point on it, the color is actually russet.

confine to

limit to限制在…内；使闭门不出
Confine your remarks to the subject of the meeting．讲话内容不要超过会议主题。
The lecture is confined to economic management．讲座的内容局限在经济管理方面。
She was confined to bed by illness．她卧病在床。

refine on

1．make better；improve改进；改造
We can refine on our plan if we consider the problem carefully．如果我们仔细考虑一下这个问题，我们是能把计划改进一下的。
He was asked to refine on her first outline to make it clearer and more exact．他被要求对她的最初提纲进行修改，使之更清楚更确切。
2．be better than；surpass胜过；比…更好
Modern farming techniques refine on those of the past．现代农业技术比过去强。
We shall have to refine on our methods of advertising if we are to reach a wider public．我们如果想要造成更广泛的影响，就必须更加完善我们做广告的方法。

refine (up) on

in fine feather

Idiom(s): in fine feather

Theme: HEALTH - GOOD

in good health.
• Of course I'm in fine feather. I get lots of sleep.
• Good food and lots of sleep put me into fine feather.

go over sth with a fine-tooth comb

Idiom(s): go over something with a fine-tooth comb AND search something with a fine-tooth comb

Theme: SEARCHING

to search through something very carefully.
• I can't find my calculus book. I went over the whole place with a fine-tooth comb.
• I searched this place with a fine-tooth comb and didn't find my ring.

fine kettle of fish

Idiom(s): fine kettle of fish

Theme: DIFFICULTY

a real mess; an unsatisfactory situation.
• The dog has eaten the steak we were going to have for dinner. This is a fine kettle of fish!
• This is a fine kettle of fish. It's below freezing outside, and the furnace won't work.

fine and dandy

Idiom(s): fine and dandy

Theme: AGREEMENT

all right; okay; really fine. (Fixed order.)
• Everything is fine and dandy at work. No special problems at the present time.
• I feel fine and dandy. The new medicine seems to be working.

search sth with a fine-tooth comb

Fine words butter no parsnips.

No amount of talking can replace action.

Cut it fine

If you cut it fine, you only just manage to do something- at the very last moment. 'Cut things fine' is the same. 'Cut it a bit fine' is a common variation.

Fine tuning

Small adjustments to improve something or to get it working are called fine tuning.

Fine words butter no parsnips

This idiom means that it's easy to talk, but talk is not action.

Walk a fine line

If you have to walk a fine line, you have to be very careful not to annoy or anger people or groups that are competing. ('Walk a thin line' is an alternative.)

Fine feathers make fine birds.

A person can look impressive in smart clothes.

fine feathers do not make fine birds|bird|birds|fe

literary A person who wears fine clothes may not be as good as he looks.

A proverb. Mary is pretty and she wears pretty clothes, but she is very mean. Fine feathers do not make fine birds.
Compare: HANDSOME IS AS HANDSOME DOES.

fine-tooth comb|comb|fine-tooth

n. phr. Great care; careful attention so as not to miss anything. The police searched the scene of the crime with a fine-tooth comb for clues. My room is so clean you couldn't find dirt if you went over it with a fine-tooth comb.
Compare: LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.

refine on|refine|refine upon

v. 1. To make better; improve. Mary was asked to refine on her first outline to make it clearer and more exact. 2. To be better than; surpass. Modern medical techniques refine on those of the past.

confine

confine
be confined
to be undergoing childbirth

fine

fine
In addition to the idioms beginning with fine, also see come on in; cut it fine; in fine feather.
* * *
- fine and dandy
- fine art
- fine-tooth comb
- fine-toothed comb

fine art

fine art
Something requiring highly developed techniques and skills, as in He's turned lying into a fine art, or The contractor excels in the fine art of demolition. This term alludes to the fine arts, such as music, painting, and sculpture, which require both skill and talent. It is now often used to describe anything that takes skill to do. [First half of 1800s]

refine

refine
refine on
or refine upon
to improve, as by adding refinements

More Idioms/Phrases

redeeming feature redress redress the balance reed reel reference refine reformation regard regardless regency region regret