uncomb

present singular third person uncombs · participle present uncombing · participle past uncombed · past uncombed

1. To reverse the effect of combing; to muss.

   While I eat the popcorn, Loretta uncombs the “set” on her hairpiece.

   1974, Cosmopolitan - Volume 177, page 98

   3 more examples

   I decided to uncomb my hair and put on baggy pants and a dirty shirt and apply for food stamps.

   1988, Hunger in America

   The wind neither moves, nor spreads, nor even uncombs her hair in rapid flight.

   1995, Calíope

   Your hands warm as Summer feel for my hair to uncomb it and hide your lips within a kiss.

   2013, Antonia Dalpiaz, Enventarse Na Vita/To Invent a Life, →ISBN

2. To remove a backcomb from.

   She began to uncomb her hair which fell in masses on her shoulders.

   1899, William Romaine Paterson, Siren City, page 170

   2 more examples

   She was dishevelled in attire; her stocking was down at heel like a stage Hamlet's ; her beautiful thick flaxen hair had burst all restraint, and tumbled about face, and neck, and shoulders with utter recklessness— I notice that hair always seems to uncomb, and unconfine, and ruffle itself in emotional situations— great tears hung on as long as they could to her beautiful eyelashes, and then dropped, tired out, on to her slate;

   1860, Chambers's Journal - Volume 33, page 257

   Mary Ann uncombs her hair and lets it hang loose, down her back; her neck is wet and the hair seems heavier.

   1974, Alice Hoffman, Honey and Palms Promised, page 62

3. To comb out; to disentangle.

   Her tangled hair would take a magician to uncomb.

   2015, Virginia Gavian Rivers, Prelude to Genocide: Incident in Erzerum, →ISBN

   3 more examples

   Its oscillating motion rakes the cotton to uncomb it for uniform feeding to conveyorized dryer at right of photo

   1963, George Worthington, Factory - Volume 121, page 151

   Listen to the roar of the Falls, the overwhelming roar of the people, and try to uncomb some of the many threads that make up the great, unstable river of language.

   1992, William Carlos Williams Review - Volumes 18-19, page 81

   And anyway, if they knew that we were merely trying to uncomb the almighty bird's nest which has established itself, Winehouse-like, at the base of our skull, where our hairline and our neck merge, they'd be so disappointed.

   2015, Polly Vernon, Hot Feminist, →ISBN