A Dictionary of Cont..

much courtesy and to have that much science.
Some grammarians claim that this and that
should not be used to qualify an adjective and
that these constructions are therefore wrong, In
practice, this use of the words is acceptable English
so long as the meaning of this or that is defined.
It may be defined in speech by a gesture
of the hands, as in the box was this wide. Or it
may be defined by what has just been said, as in
Can you come at six? I can’t get there that early
and so long as men continue to live in this competitive
society . . . that long will the scab continue
to exist. When the word is not actually
defined, as in we have never been this rich
before, it is questionable. When the word is used
purely as an intensive, as in I was that pleased!
and I am that sleepy!, the construction is slang
or dialectal.
this world’s goods. There may have been originally,
in some deeply religious minds, a sincere
distinction between the goods of this world and
those of some other world, or the hereafter. But
in most mouths the term was a canting phrase
and is now a cliche, especially in the expression
rich in this world’s goods. The modem attitude
is expressed in the hackneyed assurance that
“You can’t take it with you.”
thoroughbred; purebred. With reference to animals,
these words are synonymous, but thoroughbred
is preferred, especially in relation to horses,
there being a tendency among many farmers
and breeders to restrict thoroughbred to horses
and to use purebred in relation to other animals.
Both words, whether used as nouns or adjectives,
mean of pure or unmixed breed, stock, or race.
In reference to dogs, cats, cattle, and often swine,
there is an increasing tendency in America to use
the word pedigreed instead of either thoroughbred
or purebred and pedigreed has the further
meaning that the animal is not only purebred
but that a valid document exists or can be procured
to attest this fact.
There is a special’breed of horses called the
Thoroughbred, an English breed of racehorses
developed by crossing domestic and Middle Eastern
strains. Only thoroughbred may be applied
to persons and only figuratively. That is, the
reference must be not to genetics but to qualities
of behavior or character. In this it is parallel to
breeding. A thoroughbred is a well-bred person,
well-trained, polite (She traveled with the thoroughbreds,
and was always Among Those Present-George
Ade). The word was a vogue word
among the realists at the turn of the century
(“By Jove,” he cried, “You are a thoroughbred”
-Frank Norris) but it has fortunately fallen
into disuse and would seem a little tiected and
absurd today.
thoroughfare retains its original meaning in the
negative injunction: No Thoroughfare. It means
literally a passage through, hence a street open
at both ends, hence a main road or highway. It
also means various passages of other sorts, as a
strait, river or the like, allowing passage through.
those. See this; that.
thou. See thee; thou.
511 thrash
though: although. Though may be used as a simple
adverb meaning nevertheless. When used in
this way it must stand at the end of its clause, as
in I believe him though.
Either word may be used as a conjunction to
introduce a clause that concedes a point. Zf may
be used in the same way, but it always suggests
that what is conceded is doubtful. Though and
although make light of the concession. They indicate
that what follows may be true but that it
has no bearing on the point at issue, as in though
he slay me, yet will I trust him. There is very
little difference between even if and even though,
and none at all between as if and as though.
Although always stands first in its clause.
The conjunction though usually does. It always
stands before the subject and verb but may
sometimes stand after a word describing the
subject, as in young though he is. The verb in
a though clause may be in the subjunctive or in
the indicative mode. See subjunctive mode.
thought. See think.
thousand. This word was originally a noun and
was followed by of, as in a thousand of sensible
men. Today the singular form thousand is treated
as a cardinal number. That is, it is an adjective
and used without of, as in twenty thousand Cornish
bold and a thousand thousand slimy things,
except when it refers to part of a specified group,
as in two thousand of these men. An expression
involving thousand is usually treated as a plural,
as in three thousand cars were sold, but it may
also be treated as a singular, especially when referring
to money, as in three thousand dollars
was set aside.
The plural form thousands cannot be qualified
by a numeral. It is a noun and requires of when
followed by the name of anything countable, as
in thousands of men; the of is omitted only before
a degree word such as more, less, too many,
as in thousands more men.
Few usually takes the adjective construction,
as in a few thousand men; many usually takes
the noun construction, as in many thousands of
men. But either form may be used with either
word.
thrash and thresh are, originally, two spellings of
the same word. Today thresh is generally preferred
when the beating has some value, as in
thresh grain or thresh out a problem, and thrash
is reserved for a simple flogging, as in thrash the
boy. Thrash is also the preferred word at sea, as
in the ships thrashed to windward.
thrash, beat, beat up all refer to the giving of a
blow or blows. Beat implies the giving of repeated
blows (How we boys used to hate the business
of hanging the carpets on the clothesline
and beating them). The use of beat to describe
brutal attacks by hold-up men (An unconscious
man, apparently the victim of a hold-up who
had resisted and been beaten, was found in an
alley early this morning) has given the word a
more sinister and more violent meaning in
America than it has in England where such
felonious assaults seem to be fewer.
Thrash imulies inflicting reneated blows as