# thick (stupid vs. full-bodied)



## airelibre

I'd like to know in which countries/regions the word "thick" can be used to refer to someone stupid, as in "she's really thick", "she's thick as a plank of wood". The reason is that over the past couple of years I've increasingly heard people referring to full-bodied women as thick. This is usually a positive term, used by those that see large thighs, breasts, backsides (etc...) as the ideal of feminine beauty. I've mainly heard this from Americans, but it's also spread to some British speakers, and at least here it creates a bit of a conflict in my mind, since "thick" for me has always meant "stupid", when referring to women. I wonder if there is an ambiguity in the US or anywhere else.

Edit: also, is this something relatively new (last few years), or am I just late to the party?


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## owlman5

I rarely hear "thick" used to mean "stupid" in the U.S., airelibre.  That adjective is pretty common in talk about people's physical appearance.

Its use as a compliment seems fairly new to me, and I don't recall much talk about "thick" as "beautiful" two or three decades ago.  As you noted, people who are attracted to women with large buttocks, thighs, and breasts are the people who are likely to use "thick" as a compliment.


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## airelibre

Thank you owlman. It occurs to me now that we do sometimes say "thickset" (burly, stocky), but not just "thick". And thickset I feel is a lot more likely to refer to a man.


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## PaulQ

airelibre said:


> I'd like to know in which countries/regions the word "thick" can be used to refer to someone stupid, as in "she's really thick",


Very common in the UK - the adjective of choice. 





> over the past couple of years I've increasingly heard people referring to full-bodied women as thick.


I have never heard this at all, nor have I read it.





> This is usually a positive term, used by those that see large thighs, breasts, backsides (etc...) as the ideal of feminine beauty.


Seems to me to be an adjective associated with a particular group.

Do you have any (publishable) examples?


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## rhitagawr

owlman5 said:


> I rarely hear "thick" used to mean "stupid" in the U.S., airelibre.  That adjective is pretty common in talk about people's physical appearance.


I've never heard_ thick_, when it refers to people, to mean anything other than stupid. _He's as thick as two short planks_. _Thickset_ is a neutral term. I suppose it refers more to men than to women. I certainly wouldn't use it as a compliment. But if you like women with thighs like tree trunks, then whatever turns you on.


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## Edinburgher

In BE, "thick" when applied to people means stupid, full stop.
If people with tree-trunk thighs etc. turn you on, then we'd say that you like fat people. 
Surely "fat" hasn't become a four-letter word, like "black", has it?


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## bennymix

"Thick" is a common term now, for substantial* esp waist, buttocks, thighs--- used in complimentary way by Black Americans.

*not just fat, but muscle


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## PaulQ

Edinburgher said:


> Surely "fat" hasn't become a four-letter word, like "black", has it?


... it's going that way...


< Chat removed.  Cagey, moderator. >


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## Edinburgher

bennymix said:


> "Thick" is a common term now, for substantial esp waist, buttocks, thighs


This is presumably only possible because in AE "thick" never means "stupid", right?


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## bennymix

Don't be silly, my friend.  Context is everything.      "Thick" still means stupid in some contexts.  AE.  (More the older generation, perhaps.)


Beyoncé and other celebs who look better bigger - Rolling Out

LONGLIVEDIRE @_Nonchalance 


beyonce isnt even thick anymore.. i liked her better that way*.. she's too skinny for my liking lls.
*[my color, benny]

7:12 AM - 1 Feb 2014
====
http://atrl.net/forums/showthread.php?t=614990

Jun 18, 2014 -

_Thick BEYONCÉ_ Appreciation Thread.

I love _Beyoncé's_ body, whether it's slim or more to love, but my favorite body was when she got _thick._




Edinburgher said:


> This is presumably only possible because in AE "thick" never means "stupid", right?


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## owlman5

Amazing _thick_ sexy _legs_ in black high heels and sexy short skirt.

Jun 25, 2015 - Loving her fat _thighs_ and great ass! ... Thunder _Thighs_ Hypnosis Round Hips _Thick_ Feminine _Legs_ Binaural Isochronic Sissy - Duration: 17:56.

I snipped those two lines out of many similar blurbs for YouTube links to videos that featured "thick, fine legs".  People's sexual preferences are all over the place, of course, and thick people have their fans.


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## PaulQ

bennymix said:


> Beyonce isn't even thick anymore..


 That'd get you sued in the UK. -> beyond thick!


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## bennymix

Here's another example, from _Shy _magazine, about Jennifer Hudson's weight loss:


*From Thick to (Almost) Stick: Is Jennifer Hudson too Skinny? *


Joy Behar from “The View” spilled the beans about the star [Jennifer Hudson] when she ran into her while shopping. The talk show host heard the salesperson tell Hudson she was a size zero.


When asked how it feels, she said, “I feel like they’re talking to someone else.”


Going from thick to (like a) stick is no easy task to maintain. She also shared that it’s work being skinny. In fact, she feels obligated and responsible to the world to continue looking trim

- See more at: From Thick to (Almost) Stick: Is Jennifer Hudson too Skinny? - Shy Magazine


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## Parla

In my part of the US, "thick" in reference to a person still means _dense, stupid_. 

I've never heard anyone use "thick" to describe someone's body or a part thereof. (_Thickset_, yes; "thick", no.)


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## bennymix

Check this, Parla.  


Serena Williams Bringing Curves To Pirelli Calendar

*Serena Williams Bringing Thick To The Pirelli Calendar*

September 22, 2015 _by_ Anna Quintana

The most prestigious calendar in the fashion industry is getting a major dose of curves thanks to Serena Williams.

The athlete will be joining a long list of supermodels who have been featured in the Pirelli Calendar, including Kate Moss, Adriana Lima and Naomi Campbell. [...]

In a teaser for the calendar featured in _NY Mag_, we got a sneak peek at the calendar, it appears there will be a few non-models and even some older women instead of the usual model bait. We can just add top model to Williams’ growing fashion resume.

This is a major win for thick girls everywhere!


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## PaulQ

You have convinced me that *thick *is used as your quotes suggest. However, such is my alienation from that use and reluctance to advise anyone to use it for fear of the gravest consequences, that I have simply noted it as a blip on a sociolect/ethnolect scale.


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## bennymix

It takes some mental adjustment.   Suited to context, though, it's useful.   Excepting the term zoftig (borrowing), I know of few neutral or complimentary terms for generously proportioned (esp. in lower half) women;  most examples are NOT appealing.  "Full figured"? 



PaulQ said:


> You have convinced me that *thick *is used as your quotes suggest. However, such is my alienation from that use and reluctance to advise anyone to use it for fear of the gravest consequences, that I have simply noted it as a blip on a sociolect/ethnolect scale.


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## airelibre

Parla said:


> In my part of the US, "thick" in reference to a person still means _dense, stupid_.
> 
> I've never heard anyone use "thick" to describe someone's body or a part thereof. (_Thickset_, yes; "thick", no.)


Interesting, maybe New England English shares more than a few things with Old England English (non-rhoticity for example). Or does your not knowing the word in this sense have to do with generational/ethnic considerations? Would you mind giving a rough idea of your age? It's just that one of the posts mentions that "thick" for "stupid" is used more by older people, while the other meaning is used more by younger people.



bennymix said:


> It takes some mental adjustment.   Suited to context, though, it's useful.   Excepting the term zoftig (borrowing), I know of few neutral or complimentary terms for generously proportioned (esp. in lower half) women;  most examples are NOT appealing.  "Full figured"?



You're certainly right there. A lot of those terms are just obvious euphemisms. "Thick" is nice in that when it's used in a positive sense it's honest. It's just a shame it overlaps with "thick" meaning "stupid".


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## Keith Bradford

I won't say exactly which websites have given me this insight, but I have noticed the Americanism "thick = plump" many times in recent years.  I ignore it.  I have other more pleasant euphemisms in my armoury...


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## bennymix

I really doubt you'd call Serena Williams 'plump'.     (Not and live to tell the tale.)


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## bennymix

To Paul 
Ashley Graham to appear in Sports Illustrated:

*ABC's '20/20' Names Model Ashley Graham A Breakout Star*

When her Sports Illustrated ad was released, it was celebrated as a sign plus-size models would be accepted into the fashion industry more readily. But while she's all for voluptuous, Graham has taken issue with the term plus-size. In an interview with HuffPost Canada Style, Graham says that while she understands why models are booked as plus-size, she doesn't prefer it.


"I think I'm just curvy and thick and sexy," Graham says.

Model Ashley Graham Named 2015's Breakout Star By '20/20'


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## spilorrific

Only in recent years have I seen "thick" as it pertains to the numerous links bennymix shared (Beyonce et al). 
Prior to that, I knew "thick" to mean "dense" (mentally) and imagined it was a shorter form of "thickheaded."
I'm around 40. I live in Pennsylvania, not New England, if that helps you to know.


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## Parla

The fact that some fashion websites use "thick" to describe women's bodies doesn't suggest to me that it's actually used by people in conversation. (Until now, "plus-size" has been the fashion industry euphemism for fat; it seems to me that's a little kinder and gentler than "thick".) I've personally never heard anyone of any age refer to a fat person as "thick".

Serena Williams' muscles do not, in my opinion, make her "thick". Or "plus-size".


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## apricots

Thick is absolutely used in the NY area to describe a body-type and it is not synonymous with fat. It's closer to curvy in meaning. Also, Serena is the exactly the type that would be described as thick.


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## airelibre

Yes, I would agree that from what I've seen Serena Williams definitely fits the term.


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## suzi br

In the UK you can say "thick ankles" to describe legs with wide ankles which do not curve in from the calf muscle.
This is the only time I can recall seeing thick used with reference to body parts.

The thick = curvy thing being dicussed here  is totally new to me, and I will not be adopting it.


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## airelibre

suzi br said:


> In the UK you can say "thick ankles" to describe legs with wide ankles which do not curve in from the calf muscle.
> This is the only time I can recall seeing thick used with reference to body parts.
> 
> The thick = curvy thing being dicussed here  is totally new to me, and I will not be adopting it.


Thick neck, thick biceps, thick calves...


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## suzi br

airelibre said:


> Thick neck, thick biceps, thick calves...


I might accept thick neck, but I don't think thick biceps or calves works.  

When we say "thick" neck or ankles it is unflattering, a negative comment. Muscles in calves and biceps are generally considered "developed" or strong, so I wouldn't expect to see them modified with "thick", really.


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## RedwoodGrove

It is not common here on the West Coast to use "thick" for stupid. It would be understood by people who are anglophiles or Jethro Tull fans. Even still, I heard JT's "Thick as a Brick" song way back when and had no idea about the possible meaning of "stupid". I just thought it meant literally as thick as a brick. A brick is a heavy material and it is approximately 2 by 4 by 8 inches. I don't think that means I and millions of others were "thick".  We were just under-informed.


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## airelibre

Of course you can have skinny muscles. And a thick neck would be desirable on a body builder, for example.


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## rhitagawr

I unfortunately have to agree with PaulQ in post 8 that_ fat_ is 'going that way.' It seems that the Fat Controller in the Thomas the Tank Engine books is called Sir Topham Hatt in America. I've always assumed that this is an example of political correctness. I hope our American friends will be able to put me right.
_Full-bodied_ usually refers to red wine, although I suppose it could be used humorously to refer to a person.
An amendment to my post 5: There's also the simile _as thick as thieves_. _They were as thick as thieves_ - they were a secretive group of friends. You could also say _Clive is thick with Gordon._ In this old-fashioned and slightly pejorative sense, you need at least two people before they can be thick. Used on their own, _He's thick_ and _They're thick_ mean they're unintelligent.


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## suzi br

airelibre said:


> Of course you can have skinny muscles. And a thick neck would be desirable on a body builder, for example.



I don't really know what your point is, I would not be calling under-developed muscles thick, so the fact that muslces might be "skinny" is not relevant to the context.

A thick neck is never desirable to me, but that is in the eye of the beholder.

The point I am making is about the way we generally use  "thick" with regards to body parts.  In your OP you draw our attention to  use of thick re body in the US, meaning something good.

I am saying that we DO use thick to define body parts  in the UK but it is usually used to comment on something deemed unattractive with reference to a small number of particular body parts, such as ankles or necks.


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## sound shift

Here in Derby, I've never heard anyone say "He/She's really thick" to convey the idea that the person in question is very stocky, but I'm not surprised that the picture in London is different, airelibre, because London is one of the main points, if not _the _main point, through which AE enters BE.


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## bennymix

"Stocky", like "plump", is not quite right, sound shift.   Look at Serena.   Is she 'stocky'?

https://ioneglobalgrind.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/14273951559723.jpg?w=1024&h=1535
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Serena_Williams_Wimbledon_2015.jpg


Serena Williams | Body Measurements

Interesting, the body shape is described as 'pear'.  40-28-44



sound shift said:


> Here in Derby, I've never heard anyone say "He/She's really thick" to convey the idea that the person in question is very stocky, but I'm not surprised that the picture in London is different, airelibre, because London is one of the main points, if not _the _main point, through which AE enters BE.


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## sound shift

bennymix said:


> "Stocky", like "plump", is not quite right, sound shift.   Look at Serena.   Is she 'stocky'?


I'm not sure that "stocky" and "plump" are the same for me, benny, but the matter is academic in the sense that "thick" is not used to describe a person's physique in the type of English I'm familiar with.


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## bennymix

SS: I think you misread me.  "Stocky", like "plump", is not quite right, sound shift.
I did not say, " 'stocky' is like 'plump'. " 
(it's not).


< Response to deleted post removed.  Cagey, moderator. >

===============


sound shift said:


> I'm not sure that "stocky" and "plump" are the same for me, benny, but the matter is academic in the sense that "thick" is not used to describe a person's physique in the type of English I'm familiar with.


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## pickarooney

"Thick" used to always mean stupid or angry (when used with 'with', e.g. "She's thick with me because I forgot her birthday")
Nowadays it's also used to mean Amazonian in women. It's not a euphemism for fat.
I don't know that men can be physically thick.


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## Sparky Malarky

I don't think I've ever heard an American refer to someone as "thick" meaning *stupid.*  I've heard British people do it plenty of times, and I understand it and would not be surprised if it begins creeping into American speech.  

That said, there are dozens of euphemisms for "overweight but attractive" women.  *Curvy* leaps to mind, as well as the old-fashioned term *pleasingly plump.* 

I must relate something I saw a few years ago on television.  Montel Williams was interviewing Queen Latifah.  He began the interview by exclaiming, "Girl, you're _large!_"  I expected her to slap him and storm off.  Instead she smiled and said "Why thank you.  I feel large."  This is when I realized I was out of touch with popular culture.


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## PaulQ

Sparky Malarky said:


> I don't think I've ever heard an American refer to someone as "thick" meaning *stupid.*


... except Parla: thick (stupid vs. full-bodied)


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## Parla

> Sparky Malarky said: ↑
> I don't think I've ever heard an American refer to someone as "thick" meaning *stupid.*



Paul, quoting Sparky, said:


> ... except Parla



And Spilorrific (see post #22). Airelibre (post #18) seemed to think it had something to do with my being in New England. I've never lived in New England. I've lived in New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, where I was raised. Spilorrific is in Pennsylvania; maybe _that_'s the regional connection.


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## Cagey

I have closed this thread.  

Cagey, 
moderator.


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