thick of things
Where it's happening
The thick of things is the center of activity, where events are most intense or consequential.
Someone in the thick of things is deeply involved rather than watching from the sidelines: She likes being in the thick of things at work.
The phrase often implies both engagement and chaos—being where the action is, for better or worse.
- deep endPool's lowest-floor area
- overwhelmingIntensely excessive in force
- participationAct of taking part
- epicenterPoint above seismic origin
- coreCentral essential portion
nerve center · hub · eye of the storm · battlefield · center stage · frontlines · firing line · nucleus · immersion · heart · vortex · involvement · crux · engagement · heavy going · focus · hot seat · trenches
thick of thingssidelines
Field boundary lines
on the sidelines · on the outside looking in · out of the loop · uninvolved · disengaged
thick of thingsoutskirts
Outer parts of town
edge · background · far removed · backwater · distant
thick, thicken, thickened, thickening, thickens, thicker, thickest, thickly, thickness