thin

Universal Words adjective, adverb, verb adjective (thinner, thinnest) not thick 1 having a smaller distance between opposite sides or surfaces than other similar objects or than normal: Cut the vegetables into thin strips. * A number of thin cracks appeared in the wall. * The body was hidden beneath a thin layer of soil. * a thin blouse (= of light fabric) seealsoPAPER-THIN -< NARROW not fat 2 (of a person or part of the body) (sometimes disapproving) not covered with much flesh: He was tall and thin, with dark hair. * She was looking pale and thin. * He is as thin as a rake (= very thin). * thin arms / legs / lips hair 3 not growing closely together or in large amounts: thin grey hair liquid 4 containing more liquid than is normal or expected SYNRUNNY: The sauce was thin and tasteless. smoke 5 fairly easy to see through: They fought their way through where the smoke was thinner. air 6 containing less OXYGEN than normal: Humans would not be able to survive in the thin atmosphere of the planet. sound 7 (disapproving) high and weak: Her thin voice trailed off into silence. smile 8 not sincere or enthusiastic: He gave a thin smile. light 9 not very bright: the thin grey light of dawn poor quality 10 of poor quality; lacking an important quality: a thin excuse (= one that people are not likely to believe) * Their arguments all sound a little thin to me. * The general standard of applicants is pretty thin this year. thinness noun [U]-see also THINLY IDIOMS be skating / walking on thin ice to be taking a risk disappear, vanish, etc. into thin air to disappear suddenly in a mysterious way: She can't just have vanished into thin air. have a thin time (of it) (BrE, informal) to have many problems or difficulties to deal with; to not be successful: He's had a thin time of it since losing his job. out of thin air from nowhere or nothing, as if by magic: Unfortunately, I can't just conjure up the money out of thin air! the thin end of the wedge (especially BrE) an event or action that is the beginning of sth more serious and/or unpleasant: The introduction of a tax on workplace parking is seen by many as the thin end of the wedge. thin on top (informal) without much hair on the head: He's starting to get a little thin on top (= he's losing his hair). a thin skin the lack of ability to accept criticism, insults, etc. without becoming upset: You shouldn't be in politics if you have such a thin skin. OPPATHICKSKIN seealsoTHIN-SKINNED moreatGROUNDn., LINEn., THICKadj., WEARv. adverb (thinner, thinnest) in a way that produce a thin piece or layer of sth: Don't spread it too thin. * I like my bread sliced thin. verb (-nn-) liquid 1 [VN] ~ sth (down) (with sth) to make a liquid less thick or strong by adding water or another substance: Thin the paint with water. of hair 2 to become less thick: a middle-aged man with thinning hair become less thick 3 ~ sth (out) to become less thick or fewer in number; to make sth less thick or fewer, for example by removing some things or people: [V] The clouds thinned and the moon shone through. * The crowd had thinned out and only a few people were left. * Global warming could be accelerated due to the thinning of the ozone layer. * [VN] Thin out the seedlings to about 10cm apart. ______________________________ VOCABULARYBUILDING saying that someone is thin Thin is the most usual word: Steve is tall and thin and has brown hair. It is sometimes used with a negative meaning: Mother looked thin and tired after her long illness. The following words all express praise or admiration: Slim means pleasantly thin. It is often used to describe women who have controlled their weight by diet or exercise: She has a beautifully slim figure. A slender girl or woman is thin and graceful. A lean man is thin and fit. Willowy describes a woman who is attractively tall and thin. The following words are more negative in their meaning: Skinny means very thin, often in a way that is not attractive: a skinny little kid. Bony describes parts of the body when they are so thin that the bones can be seen: the old man's bony hands. Scrawny suggests that a person is thin, weak and not attractive: a scrawny old woman. Gaunt describes a person who is a little too thin and looks sad or ill. Underweight is used in medical contexts to describe people who are too thin because they are ill or have not had enough food: Women who smoke risk giving birth to underweight babies. Emaciated describes a serious condition resulting from illness or lack of food. Anorexic is a medical term, but is now also used informally to describe a girl or woman who is so thin that you are worried about them. It is more acceptable to talk to somebody about how thin or slim they are than about how fat they are. ->noteatFAT ______________________________