German comb
noun phrase

- the hand used to comb or adjust one’s hair

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ORIGIN

“German comb” can be traced back to the French writer Rabelais: “He apparelled himself according to the season, and afterwards combed his head with an Alman comb”.

Bernard Oudin, in his Dictionnaire, explains that the Germans were the last to adopt periwigs (Perücken), and while the French were never seen without a comb in one hand, the Germans adjusted their hair by running their fingers through it.

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COMB PHRASES

- a honey-comb (Honigwabe) = is where bees store their honey (Some people like to buy honey direct in the honey-comb.)

- to search with a fine-toothed comb = to search very thoroughly (The police searched his apartment with a fine-toothed comb.)

- cockscomb (Hahnenkamm) = the red fleshy crest on the head of a domestic cock (The cockscomb of an adult male chicken is one of the first things you’ll notice.)

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“These days, you’ll often see youngsters using a GERMAN COMB to arrange their hair.”

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