the thing
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The proper thing to do; as, "It's not the thing to play leap-frog down Bond Street in a top-hat and spats.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the thing” mean?
The proper thing to do; as, "It's not the thing to play leap-frog down Bond Street in a top-hat and spats.
Is “the thing” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.