{"id":4246,"date":"2022-05-31T17:42:57","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T17:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4246"},"modified":"2022-05-31T17:42:57","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T17:42:57","slug":"thick-as-thieves-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/thick-as-thieves-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Thick as Thieves \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to express your closeness to your best friend? You can use \u201cthick as thieves<\/em>\u201d to describe how you rely on each other to get through life. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cthick as thieves<\/em>\u201d means that you have a close relationship with another person or a group. You make decisions together, and people always see you hanging out together. You rely on each other to create your path into the future.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s common for people to refer to two friends as \u201cthick as thieves<\/em>.\u201d However, you could also call people that work together for a company \u201cthick as thieves<\/em>.\u201d While the use of thieves in the phrase inspires thoughts that this saying might have a negative connotation, that\u2019s not always the case.<\/p>\n

Being as \u201cthick as thieves<\/em>\u201d means that you are inseparable from each other or from the group. You share the same ideology and attitude toward life.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cLook at those two over there. Since the first day of school, they\u2019ve been thick as thieves, and I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be best friends for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTim and Allen are two best friends, and you\u2019ll see them everywhere together. They are as thick as thieves, and they\u2019re never apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friends and I were as thick as thieves when we were in high school. We would do everything together. Nowadays, I barely see them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re a teenager, you\u2019re as thick as thieves with your friends. However, as time goes on, those relationships start to fade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and your friends are as thick as thieves. If one of you catch the blame for something, the rest of you give him an alibi, even if he\u2019s guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose government officials are as thick as thieves, and you know they\u2019ll just keep milking the municipality finds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team in accounting are as thick as thieves. I\u2019m sure they\u2019re all in on a scam, and they plan on bleeding the company dry.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \"thick as thieves\" originates from the early 1800s. Language experts state the word \"thick\" meant being close to someone by the 18th century.<\/p>\n

The first use of the word in this context appears in \"Selected Papers of the Twining Family,\" the memoirs of Richard Twining, written and published in 1781, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\"Mr. Pacchicrotti was at Spa. He and I were quite 'thick.' We rode together frequently. He drank tea with me.\"<\/p>\n

By the late 1600s, the records of the Old Bailey don't list \"thick as thieves\" until 1874. The first example of the phrase appearing in writing comes from \"The Morning Chronicle,\" an English newspaper. The paper ran an article in February 1828, which reads as follows.<\/p>\n

\"Bill Morris and me are as thick as two thieves.\"<\/p>\n