As I mentioned yesterday, one of the true pleasures of getting back to the Highland Games after effectively a 3 year absence is being able to see any number of people you have not seen in a while. When greeting each other for anyone you have thrown with more than one game, you typically hug. That is the way it is done. In the process of greeting and hugging, more than one of my friends with whom I have thrown for years but not seen recently was "Man, you are thick".
"Thick" is not the way it sounds.
The term is used to describe someone in the weight lifting, power lifting, or Highland Games community (or really, I suppose, any strength based sport) to describe status of one's core and torso. To be "thick" means you have put on muscle in your chest, upper and lower back, and abdomen. It means at some level you are stronger than you were the last time someone saw you, just because (by default) you added mass.
In other words, "thick" is not "fat". "Thick" is a compliment.
It implies a lot of other things as well: That you have been putting in the work - and "work" here means training in the gym. There is probably some implication of eating right here as well. And training. That there is lots and lots of training going on in the background.
It strikes me as odd as I think about it that so much meaning can be poured into a single word which no-one really "explains" but one just comes to understand by association. It is not quite a secret language - after all, someone could look hear the expression of "thick" and look at someone from the side and think "yes, they do look a bit wide", trying to surreptitiously measure someone with their hands while carefully appears not to do so. What would be missing from the measurement would be all that the word implies, evidenced by the knowing smile between the two exchanging the word while the spectator is trying to measure others to see how "thick" they are.
The other thing that - genuinely - surprises me is that how, in my mid-fifties, I am still vain enough that I am incredibly pleased to hear it. Yes, I train for any number of reasons which do not involve directly my personal appearance - but the inside teenager me that was unathletic and not strong giggles with glee. The fact that those "in the know" would notice such a thing makes me internally giggle all the more.
As the saying goes "Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still".
When I call someone thick, I’m referring to their mental density and it definitely isn’t a compliment.
ReplyDeleteFair Ed - although maybe a regional thing too? I cannot remember the last time I heard someone referred to as "thick" or "think headed", mostly just "Stupid".
DeleteWhat's green and dumb? Dense foliage. I guess Thick would fit too, by Ed's definition!!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is something when people you admire notice an increase in your cachet. The word growth is important to me. Sand or grit.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
It would indeed STxAR, it would indeed.
DeleteIt is personally flattering when people recognize your improvement, not matter in what field.
Congratulations, TB! :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy, be safe and God bless.
Thank you Linda! I do try to be safe and very seldom test my outer limits as I want to be able to do such things for years and years.
DeleteI like it. Do you practice?
ReplyDeleteJohn, I do not practice Highland Games as I should.
DeleteCurrently my schedule is Iai class MW (1.5 hours) and S (2 hours). On all other days I practice for at least 30 minutes. I work out T,TH, and Sunday. Friday is in theory my "rest" day, although I do practice Iai. I try and walk Poppy the Brave at least a mile a day, although I am trying to add miles for an upcoming hike. One of my throwing companions told me his practice schedule for Highland Games, which is a limit of 5 throws of each kind (Braemar Stone, Open Stone, Weight for Distance, Hammer, Sheaf, Weight Above Bar). That sounds like something I could slot in a morning or evening practice 1 to 3 times a week. Here in New Home at this time of year it is practice in the morning or when the sun is almost going down to beat the heat.
And thank you.