thang

See also: Thang, tháng, thắng, Thắng, and thẳng

English

Etymology

An altered spelling of thing, representing pronunciation in the southern United States (see thank–think merger); compare everytang.

Also see archaic variants for "thing" like Middle English theing.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, without æ-raising) IPA^(key): /ˈθæŋ/

  • Audio (General Australian):

    (file)

    • (æ-raising) IPA^(key): /ˈθeɪ̯ŋ/, /ˈθɛ̃ŋ/

      • Audio; /θeɪŋ/:

        (file)

• Rhymes: -æŋ
• Hyphenation: thang

Noun

thang (plural thangs) (slang)

1. Pronunciation spelling of thing, usually used to denote a known fad or popular activity.

   It's cool, girl, it ain't no thang.

   Do your own thang.

   • 1977, “Sweet Thang”, in Freedom Flight, performed by Shuggie Otis:

     Ooh baby, sweet thang

   • 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 180:

     I loved playing ball for Syracuse. Couldn't get enough of doing my thang on that court and showing motherfuckers all my skills.

   • 2024 June 10, @timanddeetv, quoting Haliey Welch, Instagram‎^[1]:

     [Dee:] What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?
     [Haliey Welch:] Oh, you gotta give him that hawk tuah and spit on that thang, you get me?

2. the buttocks.

Derived terms

• ain't nothing but a thang

Further reading

• “thang n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present

Dimasa

Verb

thang

1. to go

Hokkien

For pronunciation and definitions of thang – see 通 (“can; may”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 通).

Lashi

Pronunciation

• (Waingmaw) IPA^(key): [tʰaŋ˧˧]
• Hyphenation: thang

Particle

thang

1. Used to mark the preceding adjective as superlative: most
   • 2005, “Apoem ayang꞉ 3:1 [Genesis 3:1]”, in Jhoem꞉ mougsougˮ [The Book of the Bible]‎^[2], page 5:

     Akhidˮ lhangmyu gi Aseing Mangsoo phainˮ so꞉ jangˮ mo mhau fainˮ thang daˮ gougnyhoug nghoid.

     Now, from The Lord God's creations the snake was the craftiest animal.

References

• Hkaw Luk (2017), A grammatical sketch of Lacid‎^[3], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis), page 102

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰaːŋ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰaːŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [tʰaːŋ˧˧]

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

(classifier cái, chiếc) thang • (湯, 󱥭, 梯, 蹚, 簜)

1. a ladder

See also

• cầu thang
• leo thang
• thang bộ
• thang máy

Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 湯.

Noun

thang

1. (alternative medicine) a prescribed dose of Chinese or Vietnamese medicine

See also

• một nụ cười bằng mười thang thuốc bổ
• thuốc thang