thigger 
gar; especially, one who solicits a gift (as of 
seed-corn from one's neighbors), not on the 
footing of a mendicant, but in a temporary 
strait or as having some claim on the liberality 
of others. [Scotch.] 
thigh (thi), n. [< ME. 'thigh, tliili, tliig, thy, 
then, the, thegh, thelt, theg, theo, < AS. the6h, theo 
= OS. tltio = OFries. thiach, Fries, tjea = MD. 
diege, dieghe, die, dye, dije, D. dije, dij = MLG. 
deck, dee, de = OHG. dioli, dieh, MHG. diech 
(dieh-) =Icel. thjo, thigh; connection with thick 
and theel uncertain.] 1. That part of the leg 
which is between the hip and the knee in man, 
and the corresponding part of the hind limb 
of other animals; the femoral region, deter- 
mined by the extent of the thigh-bone or fe- 
mur ; the femur. The fleshy mass of the thigh con- 
sists of three groups of muscles : the extensors of the leg, 
in front ; the flexors of the leg, behind ; the adductors of 
the thigh, on the inner side together with a part of the 
gluteal muscles, extended on to the thigh from the but- 
tocks. The line of the groin definitely separates the thigh 
from the belly in front ; and the transverse fold of the but- 
tocks (the gluteofemoral crease) similarly limits the thigh 
behind when the leg is extended. The inner or adduc- 
torial muscles are especially well developed in women. 
The thigh of most mammals and birds is buried in the 
flesh of what appears to be the trunk ; so that the first 
joint of the hind leg which protrudes from the body is 
beyond the knee-joint. There are some exceptions to this 
rule, as the thigh of the camel and elephant. Many rep- 
tiles and batrachians have extensive thighs well marked 
from the trunk, as ordinary lizards, frogs, newts, etc. No 
thigh is recognized as such in fishes. Bee cuts under mus- 
del and Plantiarada. 
Like the bee, . . . 
Our thighs pack'd with wax, our mouths with honey. 
Shak., 2 Hen. IV., iv. 6. 77. 
2. In ornith. : (a) The flank, or the feathers 
overlying this region of the body, correspond- 
ing to the thigh proper, which is deeply buried 
in the common integument of the body. (6) 
Loosely, the next joint of the leg ; the cms ; 
the drumstick: especially said when the fea- 
thers of this part are conspicuous in length or 
in color, as the "flag" of a hawk. 3. In en- 
torn,, the third joint or segment of any one of 
the six or eight legs of a true insect, or of an 
arachnidan; the femur, between the trochan- 
ter and the tibia or shank. In some insects, as 
grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and such saltatorial forms, 
the thigh is much enlarged, and forms with the tibia a 
letter A, reaching high above the body ; such thighs are 
technically called incrassate femora. The three pairs of 
thighs of a six-legged insect are distinguished as anterior, 
middle, and posterior. See cut under coxa. 
4f. The lower and larger part of the stalk of a 
plant ; the stock or trunk. 
The vyne hie and of fecunditee 
In brannches VIII ynough is to dilate, 
Aboute his thegh lette noo thing growing be. 
Palladim, Husbondrie (E. E. T. 8.), p. 70. 
thight.r. t. [ME. thyen; < thigh, ,] To carve 
(a pigeon or other small bird). 
Thye all maner of small byrdes. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. 8.), p. 265. 
thigh-bone (thi'bon), n. The single bone of 
the thigh of any vertebrate; the femur (which 
see for description). In man it is the longest and 
largest bone of the body. See cuts under digititjrade, fe- 
mur, and the various names of mammals, birds, etc., cited 
under the word skeleton. 
thighed (thid), . [< ME. y-thied; < thigh + 
-ed2.~\ Having thighs : especially used in com- 
position : as, the red-thighed locust, Caloptenus 
femur-rubrum. See cut under grasshopper. 
The best is like a bosshe ythied breefe. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. 8.), p. 69. 
The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens dur- 
ing the past week include ... a wliite-thighed Colobus. 
Nature, XLII. 303. 
Thighed metapodlus, Metapodius femoratus, a large 
predaceous reduvioid bug, 
common in the southern 
United States, and noted as a 
destroyerof injurious insects, 
particularly the cotton-worm, 
Aletia xylina, and the army- 
worm, Leucania unipuncta. 
thigh-joint (thi' joint), 
it. The coxa, or coxal 
articulation, usually 
called hip-joint (which 
see). 
thilkt (THilk), pron. adj. 
[Also contr. thick, thic ; 
< ME. thilk, Mike, thylke, 
thtilke, < AS. thylc, thyl- 
lic, thillic, that, that 
same, the same (= Icel. 
tlmlikr = Sw. aesslikes 
= Dan. deslige, such), < thy, instr. of theet, that, 
the, -I- -lie, E. -fyl : see like*, -lyl, and cf. such, 
which (whilk), which have the same terminal 
element.] This same; that same; that. 
Thighed Metapodius (.Metapc- 
ctius /emoratus). 
6290 
To rekene with hymself, as wel may be, 
Of thilke yeer, how that itwith hym stood. 
Chaucer, Shipman's Tale, 1. 79. 
Did not ttiillt bag-pipe, man, which thou dost blow, 
A Farewell on our soldiers erst bestow ? 
Peele, An Eclogue. 
thill (thil), n. [Also dial, fill; < ME. thille, 
tin/lie, < AS. thill (?), a board, plank, stake, 
pole, = OHG. dili, m., dilla, f., MHG. dille, dil, 
G. diete, a board, plank. = Icel. thilja, a plank, 
deal, a rower's bench, = Sw. tilja = Dan. tilje, 
a pole, stake, beam; akin to AS. thcl, a board, 
plank, = MD. dele, D. deel, a board, plank, floor, 
= MLG. LG. dete , a board, plank, floor, etc. : 
see dealt, the same word received through the 
D.] 1. A shaft (one of a pair) of a cart, gig, 
or other carriage. The thills extend from the 
body of the carnage, one on each side of the 
horse. See cut under sleigh, 
And bakward beth they thilles made full sure, 
As forwarde hath a drey, and in that ende 
An meke oxe that wol drawe & stonde & wende 
Wel yoked be, and forwarde make it fare. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. 8.), p. 159. 
2. In coal-mining : (a) The surface upon the 
tram runs, (b) The under-day. See under- 
day. [Prov. Eng.] 
thill-coupling (thirkup'ling), . A device for 
fastening the shafts of a vehicle to the front 
axle. E. H. Knight. 
thiller (thil'er), . [Also dial, filler; < thill + 
-ei' 1 .] A thill-horse. Compare wheeler. 
Five great wains, . . . drawn with five-and-thirty strong 
cart-horses, which was six for every one besides the thiller. 
Urquhart, tr. of Rabelais, ii. 2. 
thill-horse (thil'hors), n. [Also dial, fill-horse, 
sometimes spelled irreg. phillhorse ; < ME. thil- 
hors, tliylle hors; (. thill + horsel.] A horse 
which goes between the thills or shafts and 
supports them. Palsgrave. 
thill-jack (thil'jak), n. A tool for connecting 
the thills of a carriage to the clips of the axle. 
E. H. Knight. 
thill-tug (thil'tug), n. A loop of leather de- 
pending from the harness-saddle, to hold the 
shaft of a vehicle. E. H. Knight. 
thimble (thim'bl), n. [Also dial, thimmel, tliim- 
ell, thummel; < ME. thimbil (with excrescent 
l> as in thumb), "thumel, < AS. thymel, a thim- 
ble, orig. used on the thumb (as sailors use 
them still) ; with suffix -el, < thuma, thumb ; cf . 
(with diff. meaning) Icel. thumall, thumb : see 
tliumb^.~\ 1. An implement used for pushing 
the needle in sewing, worn on one of the fin- 
gers, usually the middle finger of the right hand. 
It is generally bell-shaped, but as used in some trades is 
open at the end. The sailmakers' thimble (usually spelled 
thummel) consists of a kind of ring worn on the thumb, 
and having a small disk like the seal of a ring, with small 
depressions for the needle. 
Hast thou ne'er a Brass Thimble clinking in thy Pocket? 
Congrem, Way of the World, iii. 3. 
I sing the Thimble armour of the fair ! 
Ramsay, The Thimble. 
2. In tnecli., a sleeve, skein, tube, bushing, or 
ferrule used to join the ends of pipes, shafting, 
etc., or to fill an opening, expand a tube, cover 
an axle, etc. It is made in a variety of shapes, and is 
called thimble -joint, thimble-coupling, thimble-skein, etc. 
See cut under coupling. 
3. Naut., an iron or brass ring, concave on the 
outside so as to fit in a rope, block-strap, crin- 
gle, etc., and prevent chafe, as well as to pre- 
serve shape ; also, an iron ring attached to the 
end of drag-ropes Clue thimble, a metal sheath 
or guard serving to prevent wear or chafing of the rope 
forming the eye of a sail. Fairy thimble, the fox- 
glove, Digitalis purpurea. Britten and Holland. [Prov. 
Eng.] Thimble and Bodkin Army, in Eng. hist., a 
name given by the Royalists during the Civil War to the 
Parliamentarian army, in contemptuous allusion to an al- 
leged source of their supplies. See the quotation. 
The nobles being profuse in their contributions of plate 
for the service of the king [Charles I.] at Oxford, while on 
the parliamentary side the subscriptions of silver offerings 
included even such little personal articles as those that 
suggested the term the Thimble and Bodkin Army. 
S. Dowett, Taxes in England, II. 3. 
Witches'-thimble, the fox-glove, Digitalis purpurea. 
The name is also given to several other plants. Britten 
and Holland. [Prov. Eng.] (See also cartrine-thimble.) 
thimbleberry (thim'bl-ber'i), . ; pi. thimble- 
licn-ies (-iz). See raspberry, 2. 
thimble-case (thim'bl-kas), M. A case for con- 
taining a thimble, or two or more thimbles of 
different patterns for different kinds of work. 
A myrtle foliage round the thimble-ease. 
Pope, The Basset Table. 
thimble-coupling (thim'bl-kup'ling), n. See 
coupling. 
thimble-eye (thim'bl-i), . The thimble-eyed 
mackerel, or chub-mackerel, Scomber colias. 
thin 
thimble-eyed (thim'bl-Id), n. Having eyes re- 
sembling a thimble: used of the chub-mackerel. 
thimbleful (thim'bl-ful), . [< thimble + -/.] 
As much as a thimble will hold; hence, a very 
small quantity. 
Yes, and measure for measure, too, Sosia ; that is, for a 
thimble-full of gold a thimble-full of love. 
Dryden, Amphitryon, iv. 1. 
thimble-joint (thim'bl-joint), . A sleeve-joint 
with an interior packing, to keep the joints of 
a pipe tight during expansion and contraction. 
E. H. Knight. 
thimble-lily (thim'bl-lil"i), . An Australian 
liliaceous plant, Slandfordia nobilis, with ra- 
cemed flowers of a form to suggest the name. 
thimbleman (thim'bl-man), n. ; pi. thimblemen 
(-men). Same as thimbleriyger. 
As the thimble-men say, ' ' There 's a fool born every min- 
ute." Mayhew, London Labour and London Poor, I. 385. 
thimble-pie (thim'bl-pi), . Chastisement by 
' ;h a thim- 
.. To make thim- 
ble-pie. See the quotation. 
means of a sharp tap or blow given with 
ble on the finger. [Prov. Eng.] To ma 
Years ago there was one variety [of thimble] which 
little boys and girls knew as "dame's thimell." It was 
in constant use in the making of " thimell-pie," or "thim- 
my-pie t " the dame of the little schools then common in 
all villages using her thimble a great iron one upon 
the children's heads when punishment was necessary. 
This was called thimell-pie making, and the operation was 
much dreaded. N.- and Q., 7th ser., IX. 95. 
thimblerig (thim'bl-rig), n. A sleight-of-hand 
trick played with three small cups shaped like 
thimbles, and a small ball or pea. The ball or pea 
is put on a table and covered with one of the cups. The 
operator then begins moving the cups about, offering to 
bet that no one can tell under which cup the pea lies. 
The one who bets is seldom allowed to win. 
I will . . . appear to know no more of you than one of 
the cads of the thimble-rig knows of the pea-holder. 
T. Hook, Gilbert Gurney, vii. 
A merry blue-eyed boy, fresh from Eton, who could do 
thimble-ng, "prick the garter," "bones" with his face 
blacked, and various other accomplishments. 
Whyte Melville, White Rose, II. iv. 
thimblerig (thim'bl-rig), . ; pret. and pp. tltim- 
blerigged, ppr. thimblerigging. [< thimblerig, -.] 
To cheat by means of thimblerig, or sleight of 
hand. 
thimblerigger (thim'bl-rig'er), n. [< thimble- 
rig + -eri.] One who practises the trick of 
thimblerig; a low trickster or sharper. Also 
thimbleman. 
thimblerigging (thim'bl-rig'ing), n. [Verbal 
n. of thimblerig, t\] The actor practice of play- 
ing thimblerig ; deception or trickery by sleight 
ofhand. 
The explanations of these experts is usually only clever 
thimble-rigging. J. Burroughs, The Century, XXVII. 926. 
thimble-skein (thim'bl-skan), . In a vehicle, 
Thimble-skein. 
a, axUtree ; b, hub ; c, thimble-.skcin ; rf, nut. 
a sleeve over the arm of a wagon-axle, as dis- 
tinguished from a strap-skein. E. H. Knight. 
thimbleweed (thim'bl-wed), n. An American 
anemone, Anemone rirginiana. It is a plant 2 or s 
feet high with whitish flowers on long upright peduncles, 
the fruiting heads having the form and markings of a thini- 
ble. Rudbeckia laciniata has also been thus named. 
thimet, See thyme. 
thimmel, . A dialectal form of thimble. 
thin 1 (thin), a. [< ME. thiiine. thynne, tlii'iinr, 
t/i untie, < AS. thynne = MD. D. dun = MLG. 
dunne, LG. dunn = OHG. tlniini, tlnunii, MHG. 
diinne, G. dunn = Icel. thunur = Sw. tunn = Dan. 
tynd = Goth. *thnnnws (not recorded), thin, = 
MHG. tuueivenge; =W. tcneit= Gael. Ir. tana = 
OBulg. tinuM = Russ. tonku (with a deriv. suf- 
fix) = L. tennis, thin, slim, =Gr. *rnwf (in comp. 
