THICK
Adjective
1 with opposite sides or surfaces that are a great or relatively great distance apart : thick slices of bread | the walls are 5 feet thick.
• (Of a garment or other knitted or woven item) made of heavy material for warmth or comfort : a thick sweater.
• Of large diameter : thick metal cables.
• (Of script or type) consisting of broad lines : a headline in thick black type.
2 made up of a large number of things or people close together : his hair was long and thick | the road winds through thick forest.
• [ Predic. ] ( Thick with) densely filled or covered with : the room was thick with smoke | figurative the air was thick with rumors.
• (Of air, the atmosphere, or an odor carried by them) heavy or dense : a thick odor of dust and perfume.
• (Of darkness or a substance in the air) so black or dense as to be impossible or difficult to see through : the shore was obscured by thick fog.
3 (of a liquid or a semiliquid substance) relatively firm in consistency; not flowing freely : thick mud.
4 informal of low intelligence; stupid : he’s a bit thick | I’ve got to shout to get it into your thick head.
5 (of a voice) not clear or distinct; hoarse or husky.
• (Of an accent) very marked and difficult to understand.
6 [ predic. ] Informal having a very close, friendly relationship : he’s very thick with the new boss.
Noun ( the thick) rare
The busiest or most crowded part of something; the middle of something : the thick of battle.
Adverb
In or with deep, dense, or heavy mass : bread spread thick with butter.
PHRASES
Be thick on the ground see ground 1 .
A bit thick Brit., informal unfair or unreasonable.
Have a thick skin see skin .
Thick and fast rapidly and in great numbers.
( As) thick as a brick very stupid.
( As) thick as thieves informal (of two or more people) very close or friendly; sharing secrets.
Through thick and thin under all circumstances, no matter how difficult : they stuck together through thick and thin.
DERIVATIVES
Thickish |ˈθɪkɪʃ| adjective
Thickly |ˈθɪkli| adverb : [as submodifier ] thickly carpeted corridors.
ORIGIN Old English thicce, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dik and German dick.
LONG 1 |lô ng; lä ng |
Adjective ( longer |ˈlô ng gər; ˈlä ng-|, longest |lô ng gist; ˈlä ng-|)
1 measuring a great distance from end to end : a long corridor | long black hair | the line for tickets was long.
• (After a measurement and in questions) measuring a specified distance from end to end : a boat 150 feet long | how long is the leash?
• (Of a journey) covering a great distance : I went for a long walk.
• (Of a garment or sleeves on a garment) covering the whole of a person’s legs or arms : a sweater with long sleeves.
• Of elongated shape : shaped like a torpedo, long and thin.
• (Of a ball in sports) traveling a great distance, or further than expected or intended : he threw a long ball to the catcher.
• Informal (of a person) tall.
2 lasting or taking a great amount of time : a long and distinguished career | she took a long time to dress.
• (After a noun of duration and in questions) lasting or taking a specified amount of time : the debates will be 90 minutes long.
• Seeming to last more time than is the case; lengthy or tedious : serving long hours on the committee.
• (Of a person’s memory) retaining things for a great amount of time.
3 relatively great in extent : write a long report | a long list of candidates.
• (After a noun of extent and in questions) having a specified extent : the statement was three pages long.
4 Phonetics (of a vowel) categorized as long with regard to quality and length (e.g., in standard American English, the vowel in food is long, as distinct from the short vowel in good).
• Prosody (of a vowel or syllable) having the greater of the two recognized durations.
5 (of odds or a chance) reflecting or representing a low level of probability : winning against long odds | you’re taking a long chance.
6 Finance (of shares, bonds, or other assets) bought in advance, with the expectation of a rise in price.
• (Of a broker or their position in the market) buying or based on long stocks.
• (Of a security) maturing at a distant date.
7 ( long on) informal well-supplied with : an industry that seems long on ideas but short on cash.
Noun
1 a long interval or period : see you before long | it will not be for long.
2 a long sound such as a long signal in Morse code or a long vowel or syllable : two longs and a short.
3 ( longs) Finance long-dated securities, esp. Gilt-edged securities.
• Assets held in a long position.
Adverb ( longer |ˈlɒŋgə|; longest |ˈlɒŋgɪst|)
1 for a long time : we hadn’t known them long | an experience they will long remember | his long-awaited Grand Prix debut.
• In questions about a period of time : how long have you been working?
• At a time distant from a specified event or point of time : it was abandoned long ago | the work was compiled long after his death.
• After an implied point of time : he could not wait any longer.
• (After a noun of duration) throughout a specified period of time : it rained all day long.
2 (with reference to the ball in sports) at, to, or over a great distance, or further than expected or intended : the quarterback dropped back and threw the ball long.
• Beyond the point aimed at; too far : he threw the ball long.
PHRASES
As (or so) long as 1 during the whole time that : they have been there as long as anyone can remember. 2 provided that : as long as you fed him, he would be cooperative.
Be long take a long time to happen or arrive : it won’t be long before you’re hooked | sit down, tea won’t be long.
In the long run over or after a long period of time; eventually : it saves money in the long run.
The long and the short of it all that can or need be said : the long and short of it is that he got himself mugged.
Long in the tooth rather old. [ORIGIN: originally said of horses, from the recession of the gums with age.]
Long time no see informal it’s a long time since we last met (used as a greeting). [ORIGIN: in humorous imitation of broken English spoken by an American Indian.]
Not by a long shot by no means : we’re not there yet, not by a long shot.
Take the long view think beyond the current situation; plan for the future.
DERIVATIVES
Longish |ˈlɔŋɪʃ| adjective
ORIGIN Old English lang, long (adjective), lange, longe (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German lang.
Long 2 |lɔŋ| |lɒŋ|
Verb [ intrans. ]
Have a strong wish or desire : she longed for a little more excitement | [with infinitive ] we are longing to see the new baby.
ORIGIN Old English langian [grow long, prolong,] also [dwell in thought, yearn,] of Germanic origin; related to Dutch langen ‘present, offer’ and German langen ‘reach, extend.’
-Long |lɒŋ|
Combining form
(Added to nouns) for the duration of : lifelong.
Long 1 |lô ng | |lɔ.ŋ|
Long, Huey Pierce (1893–1935) U.S. Politician; known as the Kingfish. A Democrat, he served as governor of Louisiana 1928–31 and as a U.S. Senator 1932–35 and was known as a dictatorial demagogue with politically radical ideas, most notably his “Share the Wealth” program. Not long after he announced his plans to run for the U.S. Presidency, he was assassinated.
Long 2 ||
Long, Stephen Harriman (1784–1864) U.S. Army officer and explorer. His expeditions included the upper Mississippi in 1817 and the Rocky Mountain region in 1820. Longs Peak in Colorado is named for him.