1 (not fat) [+person, legs, arms] delgado; flaco (pejorative) Gordon looked thinner and tired She kept getting even thinner and paler You are thinner. Are you ill? ...gorgeous thin models His thin body shivered uncontrollably He was a banker, a potbellied, bald man with thin [legs] He'd love to have a smaller bum and thinner thighs She had long, thin [fingers]
[+waist] delgado; estrecho She had a thin [waist] and long legs
[+face] delgado Tony saw that her [face] had grown thinner He had a very thin [face] and wore wire-rimmed glasses ...his long, thin [face]
[+nose] delgado; afilado His [nose] was long and thin
[+lips] fino She pulled her thin [lips] together and sucked her breath in like a snake
[+animal] flaco ...thin, half-starved kittens
to get or grow thin adelgazar I want to get nice and thin for the holidays quiero adelgazar bien para estas vacaciones; you're getting thin, aren't you eating enough? te estás quedando muy delgado, ¿comes lo suficiente?
he had got much thinner since the last time he had visited you're getting thin - aren't you eating enough? he had grown thin with age and worry
she was painfully thin estaba tan flaca que daba pena verla
to be as thin as a rake estar en los huesos (informal) he's as thin as a rake She is as thin as a rake: she has been starving herself for a year and more
2 (not thick) [+layer, sheet] fino; delgado It helps to wear several thin [layers] of clothing rather than one thick one In the night a thin [layer] of ice had formed over the puddles The floor was coated with a thin [layer] of black mud -delgado? ...a thin [layer] of soil ...a thin film of oil on the surface of the water -delgada? ...a thin sheet of glass
[+wall] delgado Exasperated neighbours banged on the thin [walls] with broomsticks
[+slice, line, fabric] fino Peel the potatoes and cut into thin [slices] Carve each fillet into thin [slices] ...long thin [slices] of carrot His lips were set in a thin [line] ...a collarless shirt with a thin grey [stripe] ...a thin cotton shirt ...a thin strand of wool A thin wire connects the sensor with a personal computer
a thin layer of paint una capa fina de pintura
a thin volume of poetry un delgado tomo de poesía
to wear thin [+fabric, clothing] desgastarse his trousers had worn thin at the knee el pantalón se le había desgastado por las rodillas; the joke had begun to wear very thin la broma ya empezaba a resultar muy pesada; my patience is wearing thin se me está agotando or acabando la paciencia
it's the thin end of the wedge es el principio de algo que puede tener terribles consecuencias They accuse their opponents of using this issue as the thin end of a wedge designed to abolish the Swiss army Protectionism was the thin end of a collectivist wedge in the eyes of free-trade Conservatives
to be or skate or walk on thin ice estar pisando terreno resbaladizo or peligroso You don't seem to realize what thin ice you are on All through my career I had skated on thin ice on many assignments We know we're skating on thin ice, but then that's what this record label has always been about
to have a thin skin ofenderse por nada; tomárselo todo a mal Take no notice of him: he's got a very thin skin and can't take criticism Evidence of such a thin skin and lack of tenacity means that Evans is certainly not cut out to be a journalist
3 (watery) [+custard, sauce, paint] poco espeso The [liquid] was thin and greyish brown Push the mixture through a sieve to make a thin puree. All we had to eat was a thin, watery broth
4 (not dense) [+smoke, fog, rain] fino A thin wisp of [smoke] straggled up through the pines The thin blue [smoke] went curling up He saw all this through a thin veil of broken mist It was five o'clock and a thin drizzle was falling There was a thin cloud of [spray] rising from the waterfall
5 (sparse) [+beard, hair] ralo; escaso He was about my age and size and had a thin [beard] Lescombe rubbed his hand through his thin [hair]
[+eyebrows] fino; delgado ...her thin [eyebrows] almost met above her nose
[+crowd] escaso; poco numeroso The [crowd], which had been thin for the first half of the race, had now grown considerably. The [crowd] seemed suddenly thinner
to be thin on the ground especially (Britain) escasear doctors are thin on the ground here Good new plays are still rather thin on the ground Talent is thin on the ground in this department Good news has been thin on the ground lately True gypsies, sadly now thin on the ground in Britain, lived and roamed in some of the most remote parts of Shropshire for many years
to be thin on top estar casi calvo; tener poco pelo (en la cabeza)
6 (unconvincing) [+excuse] pobre; poco convincente That's all they need, one word for a thin [excuse], and they cry war At best, this [argument] is thin, but it is often raised Even if the optimists' theory is true, it still seems a thin [argument] against reform.
[+evidence] poco concluyente He was believed, on rather thin [evidence], to be a Communist sympathizer [Evidence] that an economic recovery is on its way remains worryingly thin the [evidence] is thin and, to some extent, ambiguous.
[+argument, essay, script] pobre; flojo The [script] is very thin at the best of times
a thin majority una mayoría escasa The government's thin majority in Parliament leaves it very vulnerable
a thin smile una débil sonrisa He looked at Kenworthy with a thin smile She managed a thin smile
7 (weak) [+voice] aflautado Her thin [voice] rose high in complaint. Leroy sang in a thin, reedy [voice] "Come in," he said in a thin, cracked [voice]
8 (Economics) [+profit] escaso trading was thin on the stock market hubo poca actividad en la bolsa
Analysts said that [trading] was thin as market players awaited the release of US economic data Tokyo stocks fell for the third consecutive day in thin [trading] "A thin [profit] from many ships," Pao once said, "will eventually produce more money than a quick killing." They have to survive on the thinnest of [profit] margins to have a thin [time] (of it) The 1960s were a thin time for Mulligan. He freely admits to membership of the `tuneless noise" lobby regarding most pop and rock, and his quiet, thoughtful sound was out of favour We are having a thin time of it, thanks to the recession
9 (lacking oxygen) [+air, atmosphere] enrarecido; rarificado The pilot can descend slowly through the cold, thin upper atmosphere ...the thin [atmosphere] of Mars ...in these high mountains where the [air] was thin
out of/into thin air to appear out of thin air aparecer como por arte de magia
he had materialized out of thin [air]; I had not seen or heard him coming
to produce sth out of thin air sacar algo de la nada; I can't conjure up the money out of thin air no puedo sacar el dinero de la nada; he disappeared or vanished into thin air despareció como por arte de magia; se lo tragó la tierra
Apart from my former business partner, who has been fabulous to me, my friends disappeared into thin [air] He left the house and disappeared into thin [air]
