Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

3 PHRASE People sometimes say ' the plot thickens ' when a situation or series of events is getting more and more complicated and mysterious. □  'Find anything?' he asked. 'Yeah. The plot thickens,' I said.

thick|en|er /θ I kənə ^r / (thickeners ) N‑VAR A thickener is a substance that is added to a liquid in order to make it stiffer and more solid. □  …cornstarch, used as a thickener. □  How much thickener is used?

thick|et /θ I k I t/ (thickets ) N‑COUNT A thicket is a small group of trees or bushes which are growing closely together.

thick|set /θ I kse t/ also thick-set ADJ A man who is thickset is broad and heavy, with a solid-looking body. □  He was of middle height, thick-set. □  …his stout, thickset figure.

thi ck-ski nned ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you say that someone is thick-skinned , you mean that they are not easily upset by criticism or unpleasantness. □  He was thick-skinned enough to cope with her taunts.

thief /θiː f/ (thieves /θiː vz/) N‑COUNT A thief is a person who steals something from another person. □  The thieves snatched the camera. □  …car thieves.

thiev|ing /θiː v I ŋ/

1 N‑UNCOUNT Thieving is the act of stealing things from people. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □  …an ex-con who says he's given up thieving.

2 ADJ [ADJ n] Thieving means involved in stealing things or intending to steal something. □  A thieving postman has been jailed for ripping open parcels.

thigh /θa I / (thighs ) N‑COUNT Your thighs are the top parts of your legs, between your knees and your hips.

thim|ble /θ I mb ^ə l/ (thimbles ) N‑COUNT A thimble is a small metal or plastic object which you use to protect your finger when you are sewing.

thin ◆◇◇ /θ I n/ (thinner , thinnest , thins , thinning , thinned )

1 ADJ Something that is thin is much narrower than it is long. □  A thin cable carries the signal to a computer. □  James's face was thin, finely boned, and sensitive.

2 ADJ A person or animal that is thin has no extra fat on their body . □  He was a tall, thin man with grey hair. ●  thin|ness N‑UNCOUNT □  There was something familiar about him, his fawn raincoat, his thinness, the way he moved.

3 ADJ Something such as paper or cloth that is thin is flat and has only a very small distance between its two opposite surfaces. □  …a small, blue-bound book printed in fine type on thin paper. ●  thin|ly ADV [ADV with v] □  Peel and thinly slice the onion.

4 ADJ Liquids that are thin are weak and watery. □  The soup was thin and clear, yet mysteriously rich.

5 ADJ A crowd or audience that is thin does not have many people in it. □  The crowd, which had been thin for the first half of the race, had now grown considerably. ●  thin|ly ADV [ADV -ed] □  The island is thinly populated.

6 ADJ Thin clothes are made from light cloth and are not warm to wear. □  Her gown was thin, and she shivered, partly from cold. ●  thin|ly ADV [ADV adj/-ed] □  Mrs Brown wrapped the thinly clad man in her coat.

7 ADJ If you describe an argument or explanation as thin , you mean that it is weak and difficult to believe. □  However, the evidence is thin and, to some extent, ambiguous. ●  thin|ly ADV [usu ADV -ed, oft ADV before v] □  Much of the speech was a thinly disguised attack on the management of the company.

8 ADJ If someone's hair is described as thin , they do not have a lot of hair. □  She had pale thin yellow hair she pulled back into a bun.