fine

fine¹ W1S1 [faın] adj

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1¦(acceptable)¦

2¦(healthy)¦

3¦(very good)¦

4¦(weather)¦

5¦(narrow)¦

6¦(delicate)¦

7¦(small)¦

8¦(bad)¦

9¦(speech/words)¦

10 a fine man/woman etc

11 a fine line between something and something

12 get something down to a fine art

13 not to put too fine a point on it

14 finer feelings

15 a fine figure of a man/woman

16 somebody's finest hour

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[Date: 1200-1300; : French; Origin: fin, from Latin finire; FINISH¹]

1.) ¦(ACCEPTABLE)¦ [not before noun]

especially spoken satisfactory or acceptable

= ↑OK

▪ 'We're meeting at 8.30.' 'Okay, fine.'

looks/seems/sounds fine

▪ In theory, the scheme sounds fine.

▪ If you want to use cheese instead of chicken, that's fine .

▪ 'Do you want chili sauce on it?' 'No, it's fine as it is , thanks.'

I'm fine (thanks/thank you)

spoken (=used when telling someone that you do not want any more when they offer you something)

▪ 'More coffee?' 'No, I'm fine , thanks.'

that's fine by me/that's fine with me etc

spoken (=used when saying that you do not mind about something)

▪ If Scott wanted to keep his life secret, that was fine by her.

2.) ¦(HEALTHY)¦

in good health

= ↑OK

▪ 'How are you?' 'Fine, thanks, how are you?'

▪ I feel fine , really.

3.) ¦(VERY GOOD)¦ [usually before noun]

very good or of a very high standard

▪ Many people regard Beethoven's fifth symphony as his finest work.

▪ He's a very fine player.

▪ It's a fine idea.

▪ Hatfield House is a fine example of Jacobean architecture.

▪ The restaurant was chosen for its good food and fine wines .

4.) ¦(WEATHER)¦

bright and not raining

▪ If it's fine tomorrow we'll go out.

a fine day/morning/evening

▪ I hope it stays fine for you.

5.) ¦(NARROW)¦

very thin or narrow

▪ Fine needles are inserted in the arm.

▪ a fine thread

▪ very fine hairs

6.) ¦(DELICATE)¦ [usually before noun]

attractive, neat, and delicate

▪ fine china

▪ Her dark hair accentuates her fine features (=nose, eyes, cheeks etc) .

7.) ¦(SMALL)¦

a) fine details, changes, differences etc are very small and therefore difficult to understand or notice

▪ We stayed up discussing the finer points of Marxist theory.

b) in small grains, pieces, or drops

▪ A fine drizzle started falling.

▪ a mixture of fine and coarse breadcrumbs

c) fine material is made so that the spaces between the threads are very small

▪ fine netting

▪ scarlet cloth with a very fine weave

8.) ¦(BAD)¦ [only before noun]

especially spoken used humorously to say that someone or something is bad in some way

▪ That's another fine mess (=bad situation) he's got himself into.

▪ You're a fine one to talk (=you are criticizing someone for something you do yourself) .

9.) ¦(SPEECH/WORDS)¦

sounding important and impressive, but probably not true or honest

▪ Only time will tell whether these fine sentiments will translate into action.

10.) a fine man/woman etc

a good person that you respect

▪ Your father is a fine man, a real gentleman.

11.) a fine line between sth and sth

if you say that there is a fine line between two different things, you mean that they are so similar that one can easily become the other

▪ There's a fine line between bravery and recklessness.

12.) get sth down to a fine art

to practise something so often that you become very skilled at it

▪ Mike had got the breakfast routine down to a fine art.

13.) not to put too fine a point on it informal

used when you are criticizing something in a plain and direct way

▪ That's a real ' pub, not to put too fine a point on it.

14.) finer feelings

someone's finer feelings are the moral values they have, such as love, honour, loyalty etc

▪ You can hardly expect such finer feelings in a thief.

15.) a fine figure of a man/woman

literary someone who looks big, strong, and physically attractive

▪ In his portrait, Donlevy is a fine figure of a man.

16.) sb's finest hour

a time when someone is very successful, brave etc

▪ The tournament proved to be Gascoigne's finest hour.

→chance would be a fine thing at ↑chance¹ (12)

fine ²

fine² adv

1.) especially spoken in a way that is satisfactory or acceptable

▪ 'How's it going?' 'Fine, thanks.'

▪ The dress fitted me fine.

▪ If I had a good job and my boyfriend stayed at home, that'd suit me fine (=be very acceptable to me) .

2.) do finespoken

a) to be satisfactory or acceptable

▪ 'Something very light,' he ordered. 'An omelette will do fine.'

b) to do something well or in a satisfactory way

▪ Don't worry, you're doing fine. Keep at it.

c) to be healthy and well

▪ 'How's your husband?' 'He's doing fine, thank you.'

3.) if you cut something fine, you cut it into very small or very thin pieces

= ↑finely

4.) cut it/things fine informal

to leave yourself only just enough time to do something

fine ³

fine³ v [T]

to make someone pay money as a punishment

fine sb for (doing) sth

▪ She was fined for speeding.

fine sb £200/$500 etc

▪ The club was fined £50,000 for financial irregularities.

fine ⁴

fine⁴ n

[Date: 1200-1300; : French; Origin: fin, from Latin finis 'end']

money that you have to pay as a punishment

▪ a £40 fine

pay a fine/pay £100/$50 etc in fines

▪ She was ordered to pay £150 in parking fines, plus court costs.

▪ Councils will get sweeping powers to impose fines on drivers who park illegally.

heavy/hefty fine

(=a large fine)

▪ If convicted, the men face heavy fines.