tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post1238337935463892126..comments2024-03-14T10:31:26.918+00:00Comments on DCblog: On being thickDChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-33083086511461952982012-01-14T21:16:21.358+00:002012-01-14T21:16:21.358+00:00Also, in Ireland, if you refer to someone as being...Also, in Ireland, if you refer to someone as being a bit “thick”, it means they’re not that bright. <br /><br />Christina O’Shaughnessy<br />Geneva, SwitzerlandChristina OSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-40922972155515226452012-01-11T12:42:15.716+00:002012-01-11T12:42:15.716+00:00In Dutch, as in German (remarked by CB below), you...In Dutch, as in German (remarked by CB below), you be "dikke vrienden" (thick friends: good friends)or simply "dik" with somebody, indicating close friendship. It's also used as an adjective in the phrase "dikke verkering", meaning something like "they're an item and they're very close".Sandranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-19964118795738368032011-12-25T15:18:22.367+00:002011-12-25T15:18:22.367+00:00My relatives in Ulster still use "thick"...My relatives in Ulster still use "thick" in exactly this way. Just thought I'd say...T-Reynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-71949296226552122352011-12-16T14:00:18.769+00:002011-12-16T14:00:18.769+00:00I think I could still say thick and fast for event...I think I could still say <i>thick and fast</i> for events that follow closely on each other. I certainly wouldn't find it archaic if I heard it.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-82871726124693741492011-12-16T13:51:43.219+00:002011-12-16T13:51:43.219+00:00Ruth Ekblom
I grew up with the phrase 'in the...Ruth Ekblom<br /><br /><i>I grew up with the phrase 'in the thick of things' to mean being at the centre of action.</i><br /><br />Viewers of BBC4 in the UK are familiar with the political satire <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qgrd" rel="nofollow">The Thick of It</a>.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-37740178683471173042011-12-16T10:40:57.308+00:002011-12-16T10:40:57.308+00:00I grew up with the phrase 'in the thick of thi...I grew up with the phrase 'in the thick of things' to mean being at the centre of action. It is a phrase I still use. Currently, therefore, I am in the thick of preparations for Christmas.Ruth Ekblomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-89587184031152965572011-12-12T15:03:54.696+00:002011-12-12T15:03:54.696+00:00Yes, it was published on 10 December. Here is a l...Yes, it was published on 10 December. <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8951095/David-Crystal-poetry-competition.html" rel="nofollow"> Here</a> is a link to the online page.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-35538199182038766122011-12-11T19:16:14.180+00:002011-12-11T19:16:14.180+00:00Whilst on the subject of the history of words - I ...Whilst on the subject of the history of words - I have been trying to find the winning entry for the Telegraph poetry competition based on the first 100 words from your recent book.<br />I can't find it in the newspaper or online! I wanted to read it. Where should I look please? Thank you. Julia HomanJulia Homanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06141167888737440848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-44145682971609616772011-12-11T13:35:29.834+00:002011-12-11T13:35:29.834+00:00Thick as thieves is still in my repertoire, though...<i>Thick as thieves</i> is still in my repertoire, though I don't think I say it very often. I have a vague recollection that somebody in my life — most likely my mother — used it a lot.<br /><br />For me the phrase means that a number people (usually the number is two) spend a lot of time alone together — with the implication that they're plotting something.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-64547226835391717622011-12-11T09:47:36.923+00:002011-12-11T09:47:36.923+00:00Note I said 'especially'. That doesn't...Note I said 'especially'. That doesn't rule out a wide range of other 'disagreeable' senses, such as the ones you mention. I imagine there's quite a bit of semantic dialect difference around the world.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-40966020712730495372011-12-11T07:08:51.243+00:002011-12-11T07:08:51.243+00:00I'm interested in your definition of the phras...I'm interested in your definition of the phrase 'a bit thick' as 'indecent' or 'indelicate'. I've always understood it to mean 'a bit unfair' or 'rather harsh'. (I grew up in Nottingham, England, but don't believe it's local usage as people from various parts of the country seem to understand my use of the expression in that sense.)Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-20511021323219398302011-12-11T04:28:13.686+00:002011-12-11T04:28:13.686+00:00Somehow this reminded me of using "tight"...Somehow this reminded me of using "tight" in the same manner, only referring to close friends. <br /><br />Though that one seems a lot more natural than "thick."A Mittonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03017133301345946872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-87701140249042914382011-12-10T15:20:17.847+00:002011-12-10T15:20:17.847+00:00In colloquial German you can be "dicke" ...In colloquial German you can be "dicke" with somebody, which also means you're friends with them.CBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-32079162716775226372011-12-10T12:57:19.529+00:002011-12-10T12:57:19.529+00:00I've sometimes wondered how that sense of thic...I've sometimes wondered how that sense of <i>thick</i> came about. <br /><br />In Ireland, being <i>thick</i> with someone (<i>pure thick</i> as an emphatic form) carries a very different meaning, indicating that someone is being angry, antagonistic, stubborn or obstructive. Until I saw Poirot mentioned, I thought that's what the post was about.Stanhttp://stancarey.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-87903556815393981052011-12-10T09:52:09.357+00:002011-12-10T09:52:09.357+00:00And John Betjeman:
'Miss Blewitt says Monica ...And John Betjeman:<br /><br />'Miss Blewitt says Monica threw it,<br />But Monica says it was Joan,<br />And Joan's very thick with Miss Blewitt,<br />So Monica's sulking alone.'Barrie Englandhttp://realgrammar.posterous.com/noreply@blogger.com