THROUGH THICK AND THIN

THE PHRASE means through all forms of obstacle that are put in one’s way or through good times and bad times.

For example: Dogs are real friends because they are loyal to you through thick and thin and don’t expect more than food and approval in return.

It is one of the English language’s older expressions and one that has maintained its figurative meaning over many centuries.

It is venerable enough to date from the times when England was largely wooded and animals grazed on what was known as ‘wood pasture.’

In the time when England was forested, people could take paths and roads to reach their destinations, but many pressed on “through thicket and thin wood,” taking cross-country journeys to travel more quickly.

“Through thick and thin” is a clear shortening of “through thicket and thin wood”. And by the 1300s, most people were using this phrase thanks to Geoffrey Chaucer, who included the idiom in one of his works — The Reeve’s Tale. (And when the horse was loose, he begins to go

Toward the fen, where wild mares run And forth with “wehee,” through thick and through thin)

When used in a metaphorical, rather than literal, sense, the ‘thick’ part of this idiom is meant to reflect difficulties, while the ‘thin’ part encompasses the easier parts of life.