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thing
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
thing
noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a close-run thing
▪ The Labour Party won the seat, but it was a close-run thing.
a foretaste of things to come
▪ Two wins at the start of the season were a foretaste of things to come.
a positive thing
▪ That's not a very positive thing to say.
a terrible/stupid/odd etc thing to say
▪ I know it’s a terrible thing to say, but I wish he’d just go away.
all that matters/the only thing that matters
▪ All that matters is that you’re safe.
▪ Money was the only thing that mattered to him.
All things considered
▪ All things considered, I’m sure we made the right decision.
amount to the same thing
▪ Ultimately, their ideas amount to the same thing.
and a good thing/job tooBritish English
▪ She’s gone, and a good thing too.
a...silly thing to do
▪ I left my keys at home, which was a pretty silly thing to do.
awful thing
▪ I’m sure Suzy is dead but the awful thing is not knowing how it happened.
bad thing to do
▪ Making big changes in your diet all at once is a bad thing to do.
be onto a good thing/a winner
▪ I think she’s onto a real winner with this song.
be the hottest thing since (sliced bread) (=used about someone or something that is very good and popular, so that everyone wants them)
be/become a thing of the past (=not exist any more, or stop existing)
▪ We hope that smoking will become a thing of the past.
did the decent thing (=did what people thought he ought to)
▪ The chairman did the decent thing and resigned.
don’t know the first thing about (=I know nothing about)
▪ I don’t know the first thing about looking after children.
extraordinary thing to do/say/happen
▪ What an extraordinary thing to do!
first thing in the morning (=at the beginning of the morning)
▪ She set off first thing in the morning.
For one thing...For another
▪ He couldn’t bring himself to say what he thought. For one thing, she seldom stopped to listen. For another, he doubted that he could make himself clear.
forget the whole thing
▪ If we can’t get any funding we might as well forget the whole thing.
get/keep things moving
▪ The plan should boost employment and get things moving in the economy.
How are things
▪ ‘How are things with you?’ ‘Fine.’
I couldn’t eat another thingspoken (= used to say that you are completely full)
▪ Thanks, that was lovely, but I couldn’t eat another thing.
just the thing (=exactly the right thing)
▪ A nice hot bath – just the thing to relax sore muscles.
keep things ticking over
▪ Jane will keep things ticking over while I’m away.
knows a thing or two (=knows a lot)
▪ My cousin knows a thing or two about golf.
living things (=people, animals, and plants)
▪ The sun affects all living things.
make life/things difficult for sb (=cause problems for someone)
▪ She’s doing everything she can to make life difficult for him.
make things...easier
▪ Having you here does make things a lot easier for me.
measure the distance between things
▪ Now we are able to measure the distances between the planets.
money is tight/things are tight
▪ Money was tight and he needed a job badly.
move on to higher/better things (=get a better job or social position – used humorously)
▪ Jeremy’s leaving the company to move on to higher things.
One of the nice things about
▪ One of the nice things about Christmas is having all the family together.
pack your things/belongings
▪ Kelly packed her things before breakfast.
patch it/things up (with sb)
▪ He went back to patch things up with his wife.
poor little thing (=used to show sympathy)
▪ The poor little thing had hurt its wing.
rush it/things
▪ When we first met, neither of us wanted to rush things.
sb is imagining things (=someone has a false or wrong idea about something)
▪ She’s imagining things if she thinks she has a chance of winning the prize.
see how it goes/see how things go (=used when you are going to do something and will deal with problems if they happen)
▪ I don’t know. We’ll just have to see how it goes on Sunday.
stir things up
▪ Dave’s just trying to stir things up because he’s jealous.
take...mind off things
▪ Want a game? It might take your mind off things.
that kind of thing
▪ He usually wears trainers and jeans, that kind of thing.
the best thing to do
▪ The best thing to do is to apologize immediately.
The best thing
▪ The best thing you can do is wait here.
the breakfast things (=dishes, packets etc)
▪ Dad was clearing the breakfast things away.
the exact same thing/way etcinformal (= exactly the same thing/way etc)
▪ If you’d been there, you’d have done the exact same thing.
the first thing/time/day etc
▪ The first time I flew on a plane I was really nervous.
▪ In the first year, all students take five courses.
▪ He said the first thing that came into his head.
▪ the first step towards achieving a peace agreement
▪ There’s a meeting on the first Monday of every month.
the funny thing is
▪ People tell me I ran the greatest race of my life, but the funny thing is I can’t remember much about it.
the hardest thing
▪ Telling my parents is going to be the hardest thing about it.
the last person/thing etc to do sth
▪ Anna was the last person to see him alive.
the last thing sb needs/wants
▪ The last thing she needed was for me to start crying too.
the many people/things etc
▪ We should like to thank the many people who have written to us offering their support.
the most natural thing in the world
▪ At the time, accepting his offer had seemed the most natural thing in the world.
the odd thing was
▪ What she did was unforgivable, but the odd thing was he didn’t seem to mind.
the real thing
▪ Artificial flowers can sometimes look better than the real thing.
the sad thing (=the sad part of a situation)
▪ The sad thing is that there’s little we can do about the situation now.
the sensible thing to do
▪ Moving house seemed like the sensible thing to do.
the shape of things to come (=an example of the way things will develop in the future)
▪ This new technique is the shape of things to come.
The strange thing is
▪ The strange thing is all four victims had red hair.
the way things are going
▪ I feel very encouraged by the way things are going.
The whole thing (=everything about the situation)
▪ The whole thing just makes me sick.
there is a similarity between things
▪ There are lots of similarities between the two bikes.
the/that very thing
▪ How can he say that it's wrong, and then go and do that very thing himself?
things are looking up
▪ Now the summer’s here things are looking up!
things are picking up
▪ We’ve been through a bit of a bad patch, but things are picking up again now.
things get too hot (=a situation becomes too difficult or dangerous to deal with)
▪ If things get too hot, I can always leave.
things go wrong
▪ If things go wrong, they’ll blame me.
Things have come to a pretty pass
▪ Things have come to a pretty pass, if you can’t say what you think without causing a fight.
Things like
▪ Things like glass, paper, and plastic can all be recycled.
things...calm down
▪ It took months for things to calm down after we had the baby.
what worries me is .../the (only) thing that worries me is ...
▪ The only thing that worries me is the food. I don’t want to get food poisoning.
where/how do things stand? (=used to ask what is happening in a situation)
▪ Where do things stand in terms of the budget?
wind things up
▪ It’s time to wind things up – I have a plane to catch.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
bad
▪ Political parties have often been attacked as bad things in the body politic.
▪ For these people, that inflation was the worst thing in the world.
▪ Indeed, one of the worst things you can do with anger is suppress it.
▪ She has a way of blocking out most of the bad things in her life.
▪ Which was not an entirely bad thing in itself.
▪ And the worst thing was that I really had little choice but to bow to their wishes.
▪ Even if I could make an impression it'd be the worst thing I could do.
▪ Prolonged cold spells on reasonably full lakes are not a bad thing.
big
▪ I like the man who's playing this great big shiny thing like a fog horn.
▪ And if Lutz ever break down and give it to him... he gon na have a big thing.
▪ I drifted off into non-league and he went on to big things at West Ham.
▪ The big thing that hurt us was our giveaways.
▪ There's this man on this big white car thing going round cleaning the floor.
▪ The biggest thing I learned from the experience was that there are people out there that do want to help and care.
▪ A few, like Cliff Michelmore, went on to bigger things.
▪ Two big things happened that meant a lot to me.
damn
▪ The company own the yacht, we never use the damn thing.
▪ The fact of the matter is that when he was at the Quincy Ledger he hardly wrote a damn thing.
▪ In any case, he told himself with sinking heart, the damn thing would only follow him again.
▪ It works out to about seven cents an issue -- precisely, it turns out, what the damn thing is worth!
▪ But to all who valued Hoover, of course, it couldn't mean a damn thing.
▪ After all, Frank was not a lawyer, and I was the one who had filed the damn thing.
▪ Of course the damn thing wouldn't start and that was the last straw.
▪ The damn thing about the money, though, is that we get paid too much.
different
▪ Hasn't it been changed over the years to say different things from what the original writers intended?
▪ They showed him in different poses and doing different things.
▪ The muscles and the contours appeared to do different things, point in different directions.
▪ That may well be, but the border represents different things to different people.
▪ How different things seem with a little light on the subject, I mused.
▪ Intuition and mysticism are two entirely different things, Comrade... ah... uh...
▪ Answer guide: Often budgets will mean different things to differing people in an organization.
▪ The irony, of course, is that the figures mean very different things to academics and to politicians.
funny
▪ The funny thing was, this was less frightening, even though it was real.
▪ A funny thing happened to Jane Mendelsohn on the way to the best-seller list.
▪ It is one of the funniest things to see.
▪ It does funny little things inside you.
▪ Love's a funny thing, isn't it?
▪ A lot of money can do a lot of funny things to people, not all of which are funny.
▪ Dear Feedback, it is up to the listener to decide how funny things are and not loutish Mr Baker.
▪ However, funny things do happen on the peripheries of the lame story, particularly from the talented supporting cast.
good
▪ I hoped the baby would bring out all the good things Alan had the potential to be.
▪ When we succeed, we talk about how good things are today.
▪ You actually see far more than is registered in your conscious mind - and this is probably a good thing.
▪ One of the best things about recommending Napa Ridge wines is that consumers can find them easily.
▪ Perhaps getting away from her for a little while would be the best thing that could happen.
▪ It was ten-thirty before Simon was able to think of another good thing about Tony Angotti.
▪ This came about because insurance is a good thing and having more of it is better, if you can afford it.
▪ Limiting excessive jury awards is a good thing, but this went too far.
great
▪ Might not that be the greatest thing?
▪ Pitched in the playoffs and been part of all the great things this team had done.
▪ That's the great thing about having a car.
▪ What a great thing to do!
▪ When I saw the little ones crawling under those great iron things, I was so frightened.
▪ One of the great things about setting a text is that it widens the musical vocabulary greatly.
▪ And the Minister was prepared to predict great things for the candidate should he win.
▪ In addition, a great number of things round about, on every side, are causing what is happening now.
ill
▪ Then the worst thing in my life happened.
▪ The worse thing for me has been to realize that kind of cruelty exists.
▪ Perhaps that was the worst thing that could happen to a human being.
▪ But it was the worst thing I could have done.
▪ That was the worst thing she could say about anybody alive.
▪ Embarrassed was the worst thing I could have been then, and the worst of it is, I still am.
▪ Metal fatigue has to be one of the worst things that can happen.
▪ At a time when the world is struggling to get out of recession, it is just about the worst thing that could happen.
important
▪ You lose, that's the important thing to me.
▪ The important thing was that he was getting out.
▪ I learnt that to love and to be patient are the most important things in the world.
▪ The important thing to remember is that music is not an either / or proposition.
▪ The important thing is to harness growth to self-knowledge, a ready acceptance of change, swift-moving business practice and sound judgement.
▪ In reality, there are probably more important things in life than baseball games.
▪ The important thing about shamans is that they exist in order to bring spiritual power to bear on human pain.
little
▪ It's the little things in life really.
▪ They are little things that snowball against the weaker team until the contest becomes no contest.
▪ The witness began to cry, and said they had a quilt and other little things.
▪ I want to tell you a little thing you should always remember.
▪ The poor little things look white and strained and old.
▪ Such solace can be drawn from little things like that breeze-song.
▪ It seems it's the little things that count.
▪ We take the little things serious, and the big ones as a joke.
living
▪ The first living things evolved in its absence, and many organisms even today still respire without its aid.
▪ Her brooding sense of unease wouldn't be placated by his explanation. Living things inhabited caves, didn't they?
▪ Simple sieving, on its own, is obviously nowhere near capable of generating the amount of order in a living thing.
▪ This amplification becomes possible once a system is controlled, and is most dramatic in living things.
▪ In the sea, living things fight to keep water out.
▪ The objects need not be living things.
▪ The anatomy of living things is so complex and delicate that they could only have been created by a Supreme Creator.
main
▪ At least he knew where he was, and he always found that that was the main thing.
▪ The main thing is the head.
▪ But the main thing is the link with Kahlenbergerdorf.
▪ Still it was appreciated and thats the main thing.
▪ The main thing I've learned from him was how to deal with disaster.
▪ Tic main things to are how to a phrase, how to search on multiple, and how to exclude certain words.
▪ Listen, the main thing is, he's happy.
▪ The main thing was that my intuitions about Alison had been confirmed.
natural
▪ In terms of the dominant concepts of the age, feudalism appeared as the natural order of things.
▪ Moreover, the most natural thing of all about evolution is that some natures will be pitted against others.
▪ In this way a social contrivance appears to be founded on the natural order of things.
▪ It seems, like the dandelions in spring, to be the natural order of things.
▪ He'd no patience with women putting on airs and moaning about the most natural thing in the world.
▪ In the natural scheme of things, Glover should have expired on the day Johnson was born.
▪ They just happened in the natural order of things.
▪ I have always believed in natural things.
nice
▪ That was the nice thing about the horses' strange stable: its cathedral-like aloofness from the weather.
▪ I can not say enough nice things about Chandra.
▪ That was the nice thing about it, a straight forward love story.
▪ Besides, loving children says nice things about you, too, as a caring and decent person.
▪ Frankie was a nice little thing actually, when there were no screams coming from that amazing letter box mouth.
▪ One of the nicest things to watch?
▪ Anyway, I want to be able to get nice things for the baby.
▪ Once merely a nice thing to have on a resume, computer literacy is now essential for virtually anyone in the workplace.
only
▪ The only thing we know for sure is that shit happens.
▪ The only thing invincible about the Machine is that it gets him elected.
▪ I did the only decent thing I could do.
▪ Their end is often positively tragic, because they eventually realize that business is not the only thing in life.
▪ It was the only thing she could do.
▪ The only things she'd bought herself were the bed and bed-linen.
▪ But geometrical figures are not the only modes, and so are not the only things whose real essences we can know.
▪ Nor are waste dumps the only things being shaken-up.
other
▪ The bright chestnut is considered the most characteristic colour and, all other things being equal, the one to be preferred.
▪ The other thing that I remember was that this session was very quick.
▪ But during this autumn of 1962 there were other things on his mind.
▪ He had in those days of innocence seen the Edition as a finite task that would lead on to other things.
▪ Version 1.2 changes that an other things.
▪ The answer was to sell other things in the same style: china, lighting, textiles, rugs and kitchenware.
▪ Broomhead Smith had other things on his mind besides the horse.
▪ This passage, among other things, mocks a woman who reads Locke.
poor
▪ Papito took her in, poor skinny little thing, and I guess Mamita taught her to cook and iron and clean.
▪ It was true that Penelope was a vicar's sister-in-law, but that was a poorer, meaner thing altogether.
▪ Whack, the sound of the hatchet decapitating the poor thing.
▪ The poor things shrivel up in protest.
▪ What a poor thing you must all think me!
▪ He had had to go out on exercise one night, and was on duty another, poor thing.
▪ All I know is that when I went out this morning I found the poor little thing, run over.
real
▪ Voice over It's fairly simple to spot the difference between the real thing and a fake.
▪ Not the real thing, of course, but rather a pandemic of stories about anarchists and conspiracies and such.
▪ Adorno, then, is certainly talking about real things.
▪ We enjoy these tasks for themselves; it is a pleasure to do real things in a real house.
▪ They rarely look anywhere near as good as the real thing, but they will be cheaper, and easier to keep clean.
▪ These artificial neurons bear only a modest resemblance to the real things.
▪ This is the real thing, it has no need for added colour or flavourings.
▪ This teaches the hearer a valuable lesson: dealing in symbols is safe when compared with acting on the real thing.
right
▪ As adults we have active consciences which help us do the right thing.
▪ We had not done the right thing when we shot the deer.
▪ She knew the right thing to do would be to leave, and the sooner the better.
▪ They perceive me as very sensitive, eager to do the right thing.
▪ However, I was in no doubt that I had done the right thing by leaving him.
▪ Is it the right thing to do?
▪ She had done the right thing and Robert's note promised friendliness.
▪ In my heart I know I did the right thing.
strange
▪ Obviously he behaved in a highly suspicious manner today, but a guilty conscience can inspire one to do strange things.
▪ The strange thing is that they are so few.
▪ But the strange thing had happened.
▪ She wrote: But then a strange thing happened in my sleep.
▪ Tourists do strange things on the Granada Studios tour.
▪ At that moment a very strange thing happened.
▪ Then strange things started to happen.
terrible
▪ It's got to be like cuddling up to a cushion as well as doing that terrible, animal thing.
▪ Instinctively we knew that terrible things were going to happen in our elderly aunts peaceful living room.
▪ No wonder she'd lied when so many terrible things had started happening all around her.
▪ It was a terrible thing to contemplate, but all the evidence seemed to support my conclusion.
▪ Tempers cool but the Doctor realises that he said some terrible things to his unwilling passengers.
▪ In a democracy, compromise is not a terrible thing.
▪ The most terrible, awful thing that could have happened.
▪ Sleeping people do all kinds of terrible things to one another.
well
▪ There were better things in life, for a young man like him, than plodding round London after a pick-pocket.
▪ Slowly, but with growing momentum, better things begin to happen to Katie.
▪ You would think he had better things to do with his time.
▪ These reasons are your motivating factors that will urge you on to bigger and better things.
▪ As one young male noted: I had better things to do than just sit in an office talking.
▪ I could think of a lot better things to live on but I could also think of worse.
▪ Oh, Milord mustn't lose one precious minute of his time or attention when he has better things to do.
▪ We have better things to worry about.
whole
▪ To be honest, the whole thing seemed a little suspect.
▪ Erme was the linchpin of the whole thing.
▪ Then a shin guard is pulled over the whole thing.
▪ He was making too much of the whole thing.
▪ They made me go through the whole thing three times, though I had hardly anything to tell them.
▪ I played the whole thing again.
▪ I associated the whole family thing with being older and I was holding on to my youth.
▪ With Brown and Maddux working Game 1, fans better look fast or they might miss the whole thing.
■ NOUN
way
▪ This seems to be the way things are heading.
▪ The way things were going, in 20 years, the Republicans would be all-white and the Democrats all-black.
▪ This is the way things are created!
▪ Juno was very well satisfied with the way things were going, but even so Venus was quite undisturbed.
▪ My dad blames my mum for the way things turned out for me.
▪ Conflict is viewed as inevitable and a normal part of the way things get done.
▪ The way things actually happened, with all the side-tracks and misconceptions, makes them doubly remarkable.
▪ And so when a son marries, his family may, with reason, mourn the dissolution of the way things were.
■ VERB
change
▪ John would be indignant and angry on my behalf but it would change things if he knew.
▪ But things are changing, Aggie, things are changing.
▪ McCain's win changes many things, both for himself and for Bush.
▪ And if that can change things, so much the better Female speaker He's the little man having a kick.
▪ I used to change my mind about things right in the middle of doing the shit.
▪ It would change all sorts of things.
▪ Just the usual, I guess. Change things.
do
▪ She's afraid that the same people who did that to her son will do the same thing to her.
▪ You can do the same thing with the decor, even if it turns you off.
▪ But I realise there are a lot of guys out there trying to do the same thing.
▪ Only on the left do things feel as they should.
▪ The muscles in her legs are just... she has to do this electric stimulation thing.
▪ Ranieri liked to he surrounded by people he could do things for.
▪ I do the same thing on the plane.
▪ Were you what we call an enabler-someone who really makes it possible for an abusive person to do their thing?
happen
▪ The fastest way to show people that something is happening is to build things.
▪ Acid house has happened, and things you smoke belong to the sixties.
▪ What happens when a thing no longer performs its function?
▪ He could not think what had happened for things to have become so out of hand.
hear
▪ The local man said he'd never heard of such a thing.
▪ I guess you have heard that thing called payback....
▪ We haven't heard a thing from them.
▪ She is not interested in hearing that all things come to those who wait.
▪ Bernie I hear so many things during the day, I find it impossible to remember which one was the secret one.
▪ There was a time when I heard about good things only.
▪ But out here we have searched and looked and listened - and we have heard things.
▪ From what I hear, things are out of control there enough I almost think I could get away with it.
keep
▪ I kept doing all the things I'd been taught.
▪ Dunn said the toys have a lot of random events that keep things interesting.
▪ The areas where neighbours would keep an eye on things were Wester Ross and Speyside, both close-knit farming communities.
▪ Aunt Edmonia would be there to keep things in hand.
▪ Women like to keep important things themselves.
▪ In our celebrity-obsessed society, it is nice to see some one keeping things in proportion.
▪ Keep working at it. Keep trying new things.
▪ You have to keep things in perspective and keep your goals in mind.
want
▪ I thought the snake thing wanted Lollo.
▪ Right now the last thing she wanted was to have them say it to her.
▪ With household costs inevitably rising, the last thing he wants is a larger mortgage than he can reasonably afford.
▪ This kind of one-upmanship is the very thing that Paul wants to avoid.
▪ He began searching through the house gathering clothes and other things he wanted to take with him.
▪ A child's education - they would teach it things I didn't want it to learn, at school.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
I'll tell you something/one thing/another thing
▪ Let me tell you something - if I catch you kids smoking, you'll be grounded for a whole year at least.
It's one thing to ... it's (quite) another to
X number of people/things
a (whole) host of people/things
▪ I am extremely -; oh, a host of things, but not angry any more.
a close run thing
▪ Exciting Ormskirk made it two wins out of three but it was a close run thing against New Brighton.
▪ It was a close run thing.
all (other) things being equal
▪ All other things being equal, schools where parents are highly involved are more likely to run effectively.
▪ Both snail genes and fluke genes stand to gain from the snail's bodily survival, all other things being equal.
▪ But all other things being equal, the gay and lesbian community has responded well to examples of perceived corporate goodwill.
▪ But all things being equal, most movie makers would like their facts to be right.
▪ It shows the quantities of a product which will be demanded at various prices, all other things being equal.
▪ Significant improvements in clarity and stereo imaging are amongst the more obvious benefits of such parity, all other things being equal.
▪ The bright chestnut is considered the most characteristic colour and, all other things being equal, the one to be preferred.
among other things/places/factors etc
▪ But that study was highly criticized for poor mammograms, among other things.
▪ I'd like him to look specifically at Personnel's computing problems among other things. 3.
▪ It was noticeable, among other things, that she was drinking faster than anybody else.
▪ Sniping by the president's men has, among other things, forced the foreign minister to resign.
▪ That could mean, among other things, grouping inmates by race in counseling.
▪ That meant, among other things, keeping them from making any deal that gave real estate to the Vietminh.
▪ The industrial revolution, among other things, necessarily produced general literacy.
▪ You have to give Cronenberg credit for nerve, among other things.
amount/come to the same thing
▪ And even if it is not significant, it has the potential to be so-which amounts to the same thing.
▪ And literature will amount to the same thing: all writers are copycats.
▪ At once she thought: I could have taken two thousand, three - it would come to the same thing.
▪ Or rather, politics and morality come to the same thing.
▪ Or they act as if they do, which comes to the same thing.
▪ Since it formed a halo over the puck, did that amount to the same thing?
▪ The public purse would not get anything; after all, it all comes to the same thing.
▪ When electrical currents flow they produce magnetic fields and so it is possible that these two therapies amount to the same thing.
and another thing
▪ And another thing! Where's the fifty dollars you owe me?
▪ Oh, and another thing: Prices will go down, too, as much as three to five bucks per dish.
any old thing/place/time etc
▪ He could play with Orlando any old time.
▪ If you believed that, then you'd believe any old thing.
be a near thing
▪ The Cairo Conference was a near thing for her.
be another thing/matter
▪ And that is another matter entirely.
▪ But for many of us, reading is another thing altogether.
▪ But the administration that has now begun work in Washington will be another matter altogether.
▪ Defending a U. S. Senate seat is another matter.
▪ Indeed it can: but whether the argument would carry any weight is another matter entirely.
▪ Real art is another matter and, despite recent genuflections towards Rembrandt, a rarity becoming rarer.
▪ Whether I understood them was another matter.
▪ Whether they will be allowed to evict their unwelcome, unsavoury, tenants, from belfries and elsewhere, is another matter.
be hearing things
▪ Oh, you are there. Good, for a second I thought I was hearing things.
▪ I thought I was hearing things.
be neither one thing nor the other
be onto a good thing
▪ When he first invested in the company, he knew he was onto a good thing.
▪ His senses told him he was onto a good thing and his senses were rarely wrong.
▪ Many directors who take dividends in lieu of salary may think they are onto a good thing.
▪ Maybe he thought he was onto a good thing.
▪ Multiply that up by two or three hundred stores, and you will see he was onto a good thing.
▪ The plots were essentially the same; like any successful entrepreneur, Alger knew when he was onto a good thing.
▪ They felt they might be onto a good thing.
be seeing things
▪ ""Did that man just wave at me?'' ""Of course not, you must be seeing things.''
▪ I thought I saw Patty arrive. I must be seeing things today.
▪ And now he was seeing things.
▪ At only 18, Dundas will be seeing things through young and excited eyes and I wish him the best.
▪ How Rab sat, his weakened state: his first night out, and he thought to be seeing things.
▪ I suggest that the mirror has severe distortions, and perhaps Harley is seeing things grossly out of proportion.
▪ In fact, as Steves eventually came to realize, they were seeing things that often elude travelers who spend far more.
▪ Oh yes, he was seeing things all right.
▪ The first time i spotted a puffin I thought I was seeing things.
▪ Thomas seemed to be seeing things through the wrong end of a telescope.
be the last thing on sb's mind
▪ Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.
by/from the sound of it/things
▪ Ana was trapped here, though, by the sound of it.
▪ And all this provided by Summerchild, from the sound of it.
▪ But by the sound of it your brothers are a hale and hearty pair.
▪ But then Summerchild didn't know himself to start with, by the sound of it.
▪ He heard Lee shooting them down, then him whistling. From the sound of it he was still around.
▪ In the other boat, the priest had started gabbling in Latin - the Dies Irae, by the sound of it.
▪ Something hissed - steam escaping, from the sound of it.
▪ You've had a hard day, and by the sound of it not an easy life.
call it/things even
▪ Since you bought the movie tickets and I bought dinner, let's just call it even.
chance would be a fine thing!
cut it/things fine
cut it/things fine
enter into the spirit of it/things
▪ Mercer was entering into the spirit of things, Bambi also but more coolly.
every second year/person/thing etc
▪ Dalziel was well known, hailing and being hailed by nearly every second person they passed, it seemed to Pascoe.
first thing
▪ I'll call her first thing in the morning.
▪ I'll telephone her first thing, I promise.
▪ Leave it on my desk and I'll deal with it first thing tomorrow.
▪ Sharon wants that report on her desk first thing tomorrow.
▪ Double advanced mathematics first thing in the morning.
▪ I will go to see Ken Hurren first thing tomorrow morning and tell him that Summerchild was working on defence.
▪ In this case, the first thing to go was his appetite.
▪ The first thing I saw when my eyes blinked into focus was an ant marching over a small stone.
▪ The first thing to do is make sure the doors themselves are strong enough.
▪ The first things that were provided were pubs and working men's clubs.
▪ What is the last recollection before losing consciousness and the first thing recalled after regaining awareness?
first things first
▪ Okay people, first things first: does everybody have their safety helmets?
▪ Anyway, not to worry, first things first.
▪ He declared that, in this situation, it was a case of first things first.
for one thing
▪ No, of course you can't go. For one thing, you have too much homework to do.
▪ We can't invite everyone - for one thing, it would cost too much.
▪ A higher body count score, for one thing.
▪ He was responsible for Loredana's death, for one thing.
▪ He was tall, for one thing: tall and athletically built, although there was a laziness about his movements.
▪ It would be tolerable but for one thing: She shares the space with eight children.
▪ The ex-steelworkers, for one thing, have not gone away.
▪ Their love of wine leads to raised levels of alcoholism, for one thing, which balances out the supposed benefits.
▪ Well, for one thing she takes her readers and our intellect seriously.
▪ Well, for one thing, women have a different experience in life.
get into the swing of it/things
▪ As the afternoon wears on, Paul Merton gets into the swing of things.
▪ But once you get into the swing of it, the anatomy takes care of itself.
▪ In the evening a fun event will be held to get into the swing of things.
have a good thing going
▪ They've got a good thing going with that little business of theirs.
how are things going?/how's it going?/how goes it?
▪ "Hey, Al, how's it going?" "Fine."
in the nature of things
▪ In the nature of things, a shrinking economy means less job security.
▪ Anyhow, something dreadful in the way of retribution had occurred, in the nature of things.
▪ But, in the nature of things, old people spend much more time indoors.
▪ Disputes over authorship are fiercely fought, and in the nature of things, frequently impossible to resolve with finality.
▪ His extraordinary revenue came, in the nature of things, in irregular bursts, mostly concentrated in his first ten years.
▪ It was in the nature of things, for time and tide would wait for no man.
▪ That is in the nature of things.
in the scheme of things
▪ What I'm doing is unimportant in the big scheme of things, but people find it interesting.
▪ But the teachers are in charge in the scheme of things proposed here.
▪ People began to question the role of humans in the scheme of things and there was a resurgence of shallow religious soul-searching.
▪ Prejudice and bias have no place in the scheme of things.
▪ She had a place in the scheme of things; she had significance, even importance.
▪ She wasn't important ... not in the scheme of things, whatever that meant.
▪ The reassurance that there is a place for all of us in the scheme of things should help a little.
in the swim (of things)
▪ Rolling bream and line bites told me that fish were in the swim.
▪ When I have a shoal of feeding bream in the swim I can not rest easy.
it's a good thing
▪ It's a good job you didn't scream.
▪ It's a good thing I brought my camera.
▪ It's a good thing you remembered to bring napkins.
▪ I decide it's a good thing that I don't see Sean try to capture Ian's incandescent dance.
▪ I think it's a good thing.
▪ It's a good thing we got here in time, he thought.
▪ Male speaker It's a good thing for the area.
▪ Male speaker It's a good thing we check them - we can find any injured birds and help them.
▪ So it's a good thing to get one's mind off in one's spare time.
▪ Still, it's a good thing from the hunt's point of view that new blood is coming along, surely?
last thing (at night)
▪ Take a couple of these pills last thing at night to help you get to sleep.
▪ I agree with that last thing.
▪ It was the last thing he wanted to do.
▪ The last thing he said to me last night: I still want that money.
▪ The last thing Republicans need is a nominee who runs from the Republican House, who is defensive about their agenda.
▪ The last thing she felt, apart from the pain, was surprise.
▪ The last thing that I want to do is stray out of order.
▪ The last thing you need is confusion over that.
▪ Working is the last thing on their minds.
last thing at night
▪ Lock the doors and turn off the lights last thing at night.
▪ The soldiers are supposed to polish their shoes last thing at night.
▪ Empty ashtrays last thing at night, and don't smoke in bed.
▪ It's the first thing I look at when I wake up, the last thing at night.
▪ It was after dark; the last thing at night.
▪ Of course, only in moderate quantities, and generally to be taken last thing at night.
▪ The only times my father could be found in his room were first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
▪ The rosary last thing at night.
▪ This can be carried out last thing at night, once the puppy has been outside to relieve itself.
▪ Why not set a few moments aside first thing in the morning and last thing at night?
make a clean breast of it/things
▪ He needs to go before the public and make a clean breast of it.
not a damn thing
▪ He hasn't done a damn thing today.
not a solitary word/thing etc
▪ His father had not spoken a single word to him, just followed him around the house, not a solitary word.
of all people/things/places etc
▪ A kitten, of all things.
▪ He of all people picks his words carefully.
▪ She heard, of all things, a piano.
▪ She was a homeless wanderer until tiny Delos alone of all places on earth consented to receive her.
▪ So, in Missouri, of all places, my Koreanization began.
▪ The rest of my offences were committed in self-defence, when I found the hands of all People were against me.
▪ There I was admitted by the butler, of all people.
▪ William Forsyth began it before he sold out, with the help of John Brown, of all people.
sb's kind of person/thing/place etc
set things aright
sort of thing
▪ Bet you get a cheap thrill out of that sort of thing, don't you?
▪ Julia Bransby told me all sorts of things at lunch-time.
▪ Mind you, she's done this sort of thing before.
▪ They supply those - and filing cabinets and desks and desk chairs and all that sort of thing.
▪ They were in the Resistance together, that sort of thing.
▪ This was the sort of thing he could listen to all night.
▪ What sort of things can our people do in schools?
sure thing
▪ Elbert cautioned, however, that funding is far from a sure thing.
▪ Helen has no inhibitions about mixing woods, or making sure things match in style or period.
▪ In either case, the outcome is pretty much a sure thing.
▪ Kip was sure things were going to turn out great.
▪ Our idea was that at last we could have a real go at it, make sure things worked out.
▪ That gives you an idea of how much of a sure thing Lyubov Klochko turned out to be on Sunday.
▪ The only sure thing in Iowa is that nothing is sure.
▪ They wanted instant access, just to make sure things were in place.
the best/greatest thing since sliced bread
▪ Now, I didn't get it because I was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
the last person/thing
▪ Chad's the last person I would ask for advice.
▪ The last thing we wanted was to go into debt.
▪ And you were the last person to see her.
▪ He was the last person a nerve-racked trader wanted to see.
▪ I already had two children, and the last thing I wanted was a third.
▪ I know you had a terrible time and the last thing I meant to do was to upset you.
▪ Kris Johnson will be the last person to wear Marques' No. 54.
▪ So the last thing I want to do is watch somebody else do it.
▪ You know, in your heart, it is the last thing that charlatan wants.
the main thing
▪ Saving the peace plan is the main thing right now.
▪ The main thing is to impress Bora and get on the team.
▪ As for the LeBaron, the main thing in its favour was that the roof came off.
▪ But the main thing is the link with Kahlenbergerdorf.
▪ Enjoy them, that's the main thing!
▪ Listen, the main thing is, he's happy.
▪ Still it was appreciated and thats the main thing.
▪ That was the main thing, there was very little money, so we charged everything.
▪ This thing of being a hero, about the main thing is to know when to die.
▪ We had all this unused energy, that is the main thing I remember.
the nearest thing/equivalent to sth
▪ A little bit of sleep was the nearest thing to consolation left for people like us.
▪ Here was perhaps the nearest thing to alchemy that had ever been seen in the field of politics.
▪ I think she and Phil were the nearest thing to soccer hooligans that canoeing can produce.
▪ It was the nearest thing to a coherent defence system yet seen at Verdun.
▪ So let us accept that I am the nearest thing to a father that Nana has available.
▪ Still, as Jane belonged nowhere, Sussex became the nearest thing to home.
▪ That and the fact that it lost faith in the nearest thing to a charismatic it had had since Rose Fox.
▪ The United Nations General Assembly has been called the nearest thing to a world parliament.
the next best thing
▪ If I can't be home for Christmas, this is the next best thing.
▪ He can't ask them, so he is doing the next best thing.
▪ I guess they figured calling their game Arnie was the next best thing to having a blockbusting movie title.
▪ It is the next best thing to crossing the deserts of the world oneself.
▪ The new switch is the next best thing we could do to moving.
▪ The room is the next best thing to being outside.
▪ Video may seem like the next best thing to being there, but electronically mediated interactions are different from real-life meetings.
▪ We do, however, have the next best thing: a place to go for more information.
▪ We went to the bookshelves to find the next best thing.
the next best thing
▪ He can't ask them, so he is doing the next best thing.
▪ I guess they figured calling their game Arnie was the next best thing to having a blockbusting movie title.
▪ It is the next best thing to crossing the deserts of the world oneself.
▪ The new switch is the next best thing we could do to moving.
▪ The room is the next best thing to being outside.
▪ Video may seem like the next best thing to being there, but electronically mediated interactions are different from real-life meetings.
▪ We do, however, have the next best thing: a place to go for more information.
▪ We went to the bookshelves to find the next best thing.
the next thing I/she etc knew
▪ And the next thing I knew, I was here.
▪ But the next thing she knew she was crying.
▪ He slipped something in my wine and the next thing I knew was that we were on the Continent.
▪ I fell asleep, and the next thing I knew, some one was waking me.
▪ I had hardly dated, and the next thing I knew I was getting married.
▪ I must have fallen asleep, for the next thing I knew I was woken by the ringing of the telephone.
▪ I started to run and the next thing I knew I was lying on the kitchen table.
the obvious thing (to do)
▪ But they haven't done the obvious thing and abandoned ship.
▪ I had always loved walking so it seemed the obvious thing to do.
▪ It would be the obvious thing to do under the circumstances.
▪ Looking at it from a businessman's point of view, it's the obvious thing to do.
▪ To drop it as soon as it was ready seemed natural, the obvious thing to do.
the only thing/problem is ...
▪ But the only thing is they are really small.
▪ I did some um and the only problem is size.
▪ In fact the only problem is deciding where to start.
▪ It duplicates perfectly in production, so the only problem is making the first copy.
▪ Well, no problem with the casting, the only problem is remembering the plot.
the order of things
▪ A new physical model of the place of male and female in the order of things had emerged.
▪ All innovation is a contravention of the order of things.
▪ An animal which can not be classified defies the order of things.
▪ But it did seem that something in the order of things had been altered.
▪ It disturbed the order of things.
▪ On silent feet, she returned to her duties, mindful of her place in the order of things.
▪ Will the youngsters and the older newco ers change the order of things?
there's no (such thing as a) free lunch
there's no such person/thing etc as sb/sth
▪ He says there's no such thing as a citizens arrest.
▪ Raymond runs the exclusive Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Wheatley, where there's no such thing as a free lunch.
▪ To the professionals who work with troubled couples, however, there's no such thing as the wronged spouse.
these things happen
▪ It was a tough loss, but these things happen.
▪ But if neither of these things happen, Labour will be forced to decide whether it is prepared to raise taxes.
▪ But these things happen at Catalina.
▪ Every now and again you're going to get exceptional circumstances and these things happen once in a while.
▪ In the event none of these things happened.
▪ In the way these things happen, the oppressed are sometimes revealed to have a hold on the oppressors.
▪ Once in a while these things happen and then you can communicate better.
▪ Possibly you see a great number of these things happening in your school, or perhaps you see very few.
▪ When these things happen, death flashes before our eyes.
work it/things
▪ But no one should underestimate the amount of hard work it would take.
▪ Don't try and work it out any more.
▪ Every work it says here is true.
▪ For the purpose of this work it has two meanings, one musical and one socioeconomic.
▪ Hard work it was, but good, clean fun.
▪ He had worked it all out, everything.
▪ In terms of work it was a real way out for Hereward from his appalling home background.
▪ In the light of revisionist work it is difficult to treat Nicholas's resistance to liberal reform as a matter of chance or historical accident.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ A funny thing happened to me on the way to work this morning.
▪ All that lovely fresh air -- that's the best thing about living in the country.
▪ He's got one of those electronic things, you know, that you can record all your addresses in.
▪ He gave her half the money because it was the right thing to do.
▪ I cried during the whole thing.
▪ I don't have a thing to wear!
▪ I have better things to do with my time.
▪ I know I shouldn't have hit him - it was a dumb thing to do.
▪ In the new version of the story, a few things have been changed.
▪ One of the things I like about Susan is the way she always keeps smiling, even when there are problems.
▪ She was wearing one of those Spanish type jacket things.
▪ So many things have happened since I last saw you.
▪ That was a really nice thing to do - I know Leona enjoys your visits.
▪ The thing that I really hate about this job is having to work late at night.
▪ The first thing I'm going to do when I get home is take a nap.
▪ The first thing we have to discuss is the price.
▪ The first thing we need to do is call Becky.
▪ The first thing you should do is connect the printer to the computer.
▪ The nicest thing about Richard is that he doesn't mind being criticized.
▪ The only thing she ever talks about is her boyfriend.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ He has a good point, but there are other things to consider.
▪ She was never in doubt about one single thing in her entire life.
▪ Sources say most things work but hundreds of fine points have to be checked.
▪ The first thing they realised was that they would have to slow things down.
▪ The most outstanding thing about the palace is the ceilings in several rooms.
▪ There was a sense of importance, of being at the heart of things.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Thing

Thing \Thing\ (th[i^]ng), n. [AS. [thorn]ing a thing, cause, assembly, judicial assembly; akin to [thorn]ingan to negotiate, [thorn]ingian to reconcile, conciliate, D. ding a thing, OS. thing thing, assembly, judicial assembly, G. ding a thing, formerly also, an assembly, court, Icel. [thorn]ing a thing, assembly, court, Sw. & Dan. ting; perhaps originally used of the transaction of or before a popular assembly, or the time appointed for such an assembly; cf. G. dingen to bargain, hire, MHG. dingen to hold court, speak before a court, negotiate, Goth. [thorn]eihs time, perhaps akin to L. tempus time. Cf. Hustings, and Temporal of time.]

  1. Whatever exists, or is conceived to exist, as a separate entity, whether animate or inanimate; any separable or distinguishable object of thought.

    God made . . . every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind.
    --Gen. i. 25.

    He sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt.
    --Gen. xiv. 23.

    A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
    --Keats.

  2. An inanimate object, in distinction from a living being; any lifeless material.

    Ye meads and groves, unconscious things!
    --Cowper.

  3. A transaction or occurrence; an event; a deed.

    [And Jacob said] All these things are against me.
    --Gen. xlii. 36.

    Which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
    --Matt. xxi. 2

  4. 4. A portion or part; something.

    Wicked men who understand any thing of wisdom.
    --Tillotson.

  5. A diminutive or slighted object; any object viewed as merely existing; -- often used in pity or contempt.

    See, sons, what things you are!
    --Shak.

    The poor thing sighed, and . . . turned from me.
    --Addison.

    I'll be this abject thing no more.
    --Granville.

    I have a thing in prose.
    --Swift.

  6. pl. Clothes; furniture; appurtenances; luggage; as, to pack or store one's things. [Colloq.]

    Note: Formerly, the singular was sometimes used in a plural or collective sense.

    And them she gave her moebles and her thing.
    --Chaucer.

    Note: Thing was used in a very general sense in Old English, and is still heard colloquially where some more definite term would be used in careful composition.

    In the garden [he] walketh to and fro, And hath his things [i. e., prayers, devotions] said full courteously.
    --Chaucer.

    Hearkening his minstrels their things play.
    --Chaucer.

  7. (Law) Whatever may be possessed or owned; a property; -- distinguished from person.

  8. [In this sense pronounced t[i^]ng.] In Scandinavian countries, a legislative or judicial assembly.
    --Longfellow.

    Things personal. (Law) Same as Personal property, under Personal.

    Things real. Same as Real property, under Real.

Thing

Thing \Thing\, Ting \Ting\, n. [Dan. thing, ting, Norw. ting, or Sw. ting.] In Scandinavian countries, a legislative or judicial assembly; -- used, esp. in composition, in titles of such bodies. See Legislature, Norway.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
thing

Old English þing "meeting, assembly, council, discussion," later "entity, being, matter" (subject of deliberation in an assembly), also "act, deed, event, material object, body, being, creature," from Proto-Germanic *thingam "assembly" (cognates: Old Frisian thing "assembly, council, suit, matter, thing," Middle Dutch dinc "court-day, suit, plea, concern, affair, thing," Dutch ding "thing," Old High German ding "public assembly for judgment and business, lawsuit," German Ding "affair, matter, thing," Old Norse þing "public assembly"). The Germanic word is perhaps literally "appointed time," from a PIE *tenk- (1), from root *ten- "stretch," perhaps on notion of "stretch of time for a meeting or assembly."\n

\nThe sense "meeting, assembly" did not survive Old English. For sense evolution, compare French chose, Spanish cosa "thing," from Latin causa "judicial process, lawsuit, case;" Latin res "affair, thing," also "case at law, cause." Old sense is preserved in second element of hustings and in Icelandic Althing, the nation's general assembly.\n

\nOf persons, often pityingly, from late 13c. Used colloquially since c.1600 to indicate things the speaker can't name at the moment, often with various meaningless suffixes (see thingamajig). Things "personal possessions" is from c.1300. The thing "what's stylish or fashionable" is recorded from 1762. Phrase do your thing "follow your particular predilection," though associated with hippie-speak of 1960s is attested from 184

Wiktionary
thing

n. That which is considered to exist as a separate entity, object, quality or concept. vb. (context rare English) To express as a thing; to reify.

Related phrases:
WordNet
thing

  1. n. a special situation; "this thing has got to end"; "it is a remarkable thing"

  2. an action; "how could you do such a thing?"

  3. an artifact; "how does this thing work?"

  4. an event; "a funny thing happened on the way to the..."

  5. a statement regarded as an object; "to say the same thing in other terms"; "how can you say such a thing?"

  6. any attribute or quality considered as having its own existence; "the thing I like about her is ..."

  7. a special abstraction; "a thing of the spirit"; "things of the heart"

  8. a vaguely specified concern; "several matters to attend to"; "it is none of your affair"; "things are going well" [syn: matter, affair]

  9. an entity that is not named specifically; "I couldn't tell what the thing was"

  10. a special objective; "the thing is to stay in bounds"

  11. a persistent illogical feeling of desire or aversion; "he has a thing about seafood"; "she has a thing about him"

  12. a separate and self-contained entity

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Thing

Thing or The Thing may refer to:

Thing (comics)

The Thing (Benjamin "Ben" Grimm) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. The character is known for his trademark rocky orange appearance, sense of humor, blue eyes, and famous battle cry, "It's clobberin' time!". The Thing's speech patterns are loosely based on those of Jimmy Durante.

Actor Michael Bailey Smith played Ben Grimm in The Fantastic Four film from 1994, Michael Chiklis portrayed the Thing in the 2005 film Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, while Jamie Bell acted the part in Fantastic Four (2015).

In 2011, IGN ranked the Thing 18th in the "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes", and 23rd in their list of "The Top 50 Avengers" in 2012. The Thing was named Empire magazine's tenth of "The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters" in 2008.

Thing (assembly)

A thing ( Old Norse, Old English and Icelandic: þing; German, Dutch: ding; modern Scandinavian languages: ting) was the governing assembly of a Germanic society, made up of the free people of the community presided over by lawspeakers. Its meeting-place was called a thingstead.

The Anglo-Saxon folkmoot or folkmote ( Old English — "folk meeting", modern Norwegian; folkemøte) was analogous, the forerunner to the witenagemot and a precursor of the modern Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Today the term lives on in the English term husting, in the official names of national legislatures and political and judicial institutions of Nordic countries and, in the Manx form tyn, as a term for the three legislative bodies on the Isle of Man.

Thing (The Addams Family)

Thing T. Thing, often referred to as just Thing, is a fictional character in the The Addams Family series. Thing was originally conceived as a whole creature (always seen in the background watching the family) that was too horrible to see in person. The only part of it that was tolerable was its human hand (this can be seen in the 1964 television series). The Addams called it "Thing" because it was something that could not be identified. Thing was changed to a disembodied hand for the 1991 and 1993 Addams Family movies.

In Spain it was called Cosa ("Thing") while in other Spanish-speaking countries it was named Dedos ("Fingers"); in German-speaking countries das eiskalte Händchen ("the little ice-cold hand"); in Portuguese-speaking countries Mãozinha ("Little Hand") or Coisa ("Thing"); and in Italian was called Mano ("Hand"). It was also named "Ting" (An easy word for calling a dog in the Thai language).

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "thing".

The Aberrant thing gave another great pull, and the whole caravan shifted.

We may, however, omit for the present any consideration of the particular providence, that beforehand decision which accomplishes or holds things in abeyance to some good purpose and gives or withholds in our own regard: when we have established the Universal Providence which we affirm, we can link the secondary with it.

I been content to abide till eld came upon me, but my lord would not have it so, but longed for greater things for me.

I will not wear thy soul with words about my grief and sorrow: but it is to be told that I sat now in a perilous place, and yet I might not step down from it and abide in that land, for then it was a sure thing, that some of my foes would have laid hand on me and brought me to judgment for being but myself, and I should have ended miserably.

She went into the ablutions area and took a shower, trying to ignore the thing, which continued to watch her, or she presumed it was watching her, through its unblinking golden eye-slit.

The scene I cannot describe--I should faint if I tried it, for there is madness in a room full of classified charnel things, with blood and lesser human debris almost ankle-deep on the slimy floor, and with hideous reptilian abnormalities sprouting, bubbling, and baking over a winking bluish-green spectre of dim flame in a far corner of black shadows.

He was a loathsome, gorilla-like thing, with abnormally long arms which I could not help calling fore legs, and a face that conjured up thoughts of unspeakable Congo secrets and tom-tom poundings under an eerie moon.

But this is not your fight, and if things do not go well aboard Persephone I rather fear there will be little quarter, given or taken.

There he abode a little, wondering at all these things and all that had befallen him since he had left Upmeads.

A swarm of birds-gulls and ternswas wheeling over half an acre of water that seemed to be aboil with living things.

Probably these things counted as abominations, crimes against the common humanity in the Constitution.

The same women that despised Sky Eyes, that gossiped about her and futilely forbade their sons to come near her, they came for abortifacients, joint easers, the silvery drink that brought one out of a dark mood, a dozen other things.

If he smoked too many cigarettes and drank too much absinth it was because he took civilization as he found it, and did the things that he found his civilized brothers doing.

And this is the Absolute Ugly: an ugly thing is something that has not been entirely mastered by pattern, that is by Reason, the Matter not yielding at all points and in all respects to Ideal-Form.

Reason-Principle: in the same way what gives an organism a certain bulk is not itself a thing of magnitude but is Magnitude itself, the abstract Absolute, or the Reason-Principle.