things n.
1. clothes in general, esp. those that women put on to go out, in addition to their indoor dress.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Taming of the Shrew IV iii: Ruffs and cuffs and farthingales and things. | |
| Duenna I iii: I suppose you don’t mean to detain my apparel – I may have my things, I presume? |
2. one’s possessions carried at a particular time, eg on a journey.
| Turkish Hist. (1621) 599: Busie in packing vp his things against his departure [OED]. | |
| No. 5 John Street (2005) 28: By this time the heroine of the adventure has gathered up her things, including the dreadful helmet. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | You Can’t Win (2000) 119: He took the door of the room off its hinges [...] leaving the occupant’s ‘things’ at the mercy of his fellow lodgers. |
3. implements or equipment for some special use, utensils.
| Provoked Wife III i: Here, take away the things; I expect company. |
4. (UK Und.) stolen goods.
| London Guide. |
5. (UK Und.) counterfeit money.
| Poverty, Mendicity and Crime; Report 106: Women are generally the carriers of base coin; they bring the ‘things,’ as they are called, in a stocking to the seller. | |
| Vulgar Tongue. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 8: The Things - Base coin. |
In phrases
(US black) well-dressed; sophisticated.
| ‘Idioms of the Present-Day American Negro’ in AS XIII:4 Dec. 314/2: THINGS AND STUFF. Same as mellow back. |
SE in slang uses
In phrases
(drugs) marijuana cigarettes.
| Prison Sl. 74: Dem Things also Them Things Marijuana cigarettes. |
(W.I./UK black) ‘there is little money in hand and none coming’ (Allsopp, Dict. Caribbean English Usage, 1996).
![[WI]](/static/img/flags/wi.png "West Indies") | Lonely Londoners 127: They ask him to lend them two and six, that things really brown. |
(Aus.) various assonant/rhyming phrs. used to denote an unsatisfactory situation.
| (con. 1944) Rats in New Guinea 217: He says things are crook in Talarook. He’s the only soldier on his feet. | |
| Dict. Aus. Colloquialisms 332/1: Tallarook. things are crook in. Catchphrase for any adverse situation [...] Other catchphrases include: There’s no work at Bourke. Got the arse at Bulli Pass. No luchre at Echuca. In jail at Innisfail. Things are weak at Julia Creek. Things are crook at Muswellbrook. The girls are bandy at Urandangie. | |
| Dinkum Aussie Dict. 52: Things are crook in Tallarook: Matters are not reaching any satisfactory conclusion, the times are bad and everything is up shit creek. | |
| Aus. Word Map 🌐 things are crook in Cooloongolook. the situation is not very good. | |
| Aus. Word Map 🌐 things are crook in Muswellbrook. the situation is not very good. | |
| Aus. Word Map 🌐 things are crook in Tallarook. the situation is not very good. | |
| Lingo 93: An apparently indigenous form of rhyming slang evolved here during the depression of the 1930s, according to Sidney Baker. This consisted of short rhymes on place names, usually with a sombre reference to unemployment and hardship, such as things are crook in tallarook, got the arse at bulli pass and no work in bourke. [...] Variations on this poetic form are still heard from time to time such as the beer is weak in julia creek, meaning poor beer, often abbreviated to julia creek or even julia and as a general expression of dissatisfaction. |
(W.I.) everything is great, satisfactory.
| Official Dancehall Dict. 53: Things curry everything is o.k.; there’s no need to worry. |
(US) noteworthy events.
 | letter 6 Dec. in Tomlinson Rocky Mountain Sailor (1998) 274: So I decided to ‘beat it’ and remain out of sight until it was all over [...] If [the Commandant] should happen to notice my absence there might be things doing. |