WORD POWER
Through thick and thin
Prerana Trehan

IT is amazing how people vanish into thin air, Raju thought as leafed through an old album. Aha, there was Ram, his best friend. Thin as a rake, Ram had been a bit thin on the top even at that age. All through school and college, the two of them had been as thick as thieves. They had always been in the thick of some mischief or the other. Whenever the got caught, Ram would come up with some thin excuse which would land them in even more trouble, Raju remembered with a smile. Of course, their protestations of innocence always had a thin audience.

Ram was not particularly academically oriented, and their classmates often laughed at him, saying that he was as thick as two short planks. But being thick-skinned, he paid little attention to what they said.

When Raju got a job offer in a faraway town, Ram had advised him not to go saying that between looking after his father’s business and doing a full-time job, he would be spreading himself too thin. He felt Raju would be skating on thin ice by moving to another town. For a long time, Ram had tried to dissuade him but then even his patience had worn thin and he had given up. Raju’s refusal to listen to Ram had been the thin edge of the wedge, because after that their relationship had never been the same. Raju knew he had to take up the job because such opportunities were not thick on the ground.

Years later someone had told him that Ram had lost a lot of money on the stock market and was having a thin time of it. I will call him tomorrow, Raju thought as he closed the album. After all, once upon a time I did promise to stand by him through thick and thin.

Vanish into thin air: disappear without trace

Be as thin as a rake: to be very thin

Be thin on top: if a man is thin on top, there is not much hair on the top of his head

Be as thick as thieves: if two people are as thick as thieves, they are very good friends

Be in the thick of: to be very involved at the busiest or most active stage of a situation or activity

A thin excuse: an unconvincing excuse

A thin audience: not many spectators

Be as thick as two short planks: to be very stupid

Thick-skinned: if you are thick-skinned, you do not notice or get upset when people criticise you

Spread yourself too thin: to try to do too many things at the same time, so that you cannot give enough time or attention to any of them

Be skating/walking on thin ice: to be taking a big risk

Wear thin: if your patience wears thin, you become less and less patient

The thin edge of the wedge: just the beginning of something that will develop into a much greater event, problem, scandal etc

Thick on the ground: numerous, in great supply/quantity

Have a thin time (of it): to experience a difficult period, often because you do not have enough money

Through thick and thin: if you stay with or support someone through thick and thin, you always stay with or support them, even in difficult situations

(Reference: Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms)