Service Acts
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A comb-out was a thorough clearing out or clean sweep of men of military age in offices, works, etc., and getting them into the Army.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Service Acts” mean?
A comb-out was a thorough clearing out or clean sweep of men of military age in offices, works, etc., and getting them into the Army.
Is “Service Acts” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.