⊙ By Jeff

Saying “It’s a Thing” Is Now a Thing

“找事兒”新潮流

⊙ By Jeff

According to one source, “thing” is among the ten most commonly used nouns in English. You probably already know what it means. Or do you?

Certainly you know that “thing” can refer to just about any inanimate (not living) object, such as a cup, a car, or a coin.

You can also use “thing” when you’re not sure if the object you’re referring to is living or not. For example, you might say to a waiter in a restaurant, “What’s that thing in my soup?”

“Thing” can also refer to a topic of conversation, as in “I have three things I want to talk to you about today.” Notice that “thing”can be singular or plural when used in these ways.

More recently in U.S. English, “a thing”(always singular) has taken on a new meaning, referring to a newly popular topic, trend, or activity.

For example, eating toast withavocado[鱷梨]on top is now “a thing” in many U.S. cities. It’s a relatively recent phenomenon that is especially popular amonghipsters[潮人].

Sometimes the trend is so crazy, you may ask someone, “Is that really a thing?”For example, I might ask my friend, “Are adult coloring books really a thing now?”

The answer to that last question is yes, they are: people are actually spending time coloring paper books like children. Sadly, it is a thing.