fine-tune, v. orig. U.S.
Also fine tune.
[Back-formation from fine tuning vbl. n.]
a. trans. To adjust (an instrument, measurement, etc.) very precisely.
| 1969 Program & Abstr. URSI Spring Meeting (U.S. National Comm.) 81 The operation of the all-pass network will be explained..including..how to measure and fine tune such structures. 1975 New Yorker 31 Mar. 26/3 Normally, we only change the pressurization in the cabin every thousand feet.., but after he let out that holler we fine-tuned the pressurization all the way. 1979 Sci. Amer. Sept. 8/2 In each generating plant there is a pendulum-regulated clock that fine-tunes the speed of the alternators to exactly 60 hertz before they are put on line. 1980 SLR Camera July 39/1 The most useful filters to carry with you are all gentle in their effects and are for fine tuning the tonal and colour response of the film. 1982 Sci. Amer. Nov. 148/3 Two other effects may be said to ‘fine-tune’ the drumhead frequencies, because their role is minor compared with the effect of air-mass loading. |
b. fig. To make delicate adjustments to (the economy, a situation) so as to bring about a desired improvement.
| 1969 Washington Post 16 Apr. a23/3 To say that we can ‘fine-tune’ the economy so that the addition of another $1 billion or so in surplus makes a difference—we're not that smart. 1971 Daily Tel. 20 Jan. 15 We delude ourselves if we believe that we can neatly fine-tune the money supply or interest rates precisely as we would like. 1977 Nat. Westminster Bank Q. Rev. Aug. 8 Macro economic management..has tended to exacerbate this problem with clumsy attempts at ‘fine tuning’ the economy by innumerable changes in monetary and fiscal measures. 1983 Listener 15 Sept. 6/3 It's not on if you're seriously trying to fine-tune a superpower confrontation in such a way that you can stop short of something nasty happening. 1984 Times 26 Nov. 17/1 (heading) Fed fails to fine tune economy. |