What is the difference between thick and fat?

When describing people the terms thick and fat are used in a somewhat slang way, but have different visual meanings! People that are thick are not fat, but fat people could have been at one time thick.  Oh, really? Yes, it is true. Let’s explore the concepts.

They basically are slang terms and not medical terms. Although the term “fat” can mean an excess or extreme amount of body fat (a medical condition) it can also be just an outwardly descriptive term. Also, do not confuse fat or thick with over or under weight. Those are medical terms and we will leave that part of the discussion.

Thick and fat when discussing appearance has different connotations! Thick and fat when referring to a person’s mental capacity are similar if not synonyms. Thick and fat when referring to endurance are very seldom used in that context together or as similar terms.

So if a person is thick by appearance, it means that they are well defined and more voluptuous in their appearance proportionally. It tends to be associated with women who have rather large breasts, small waist, and large, but firm buttocks! Their thighs are also much thicker coming down off their torso. In essence, they are larger people, but well defined with larger proportions that actually make them look attractive. They tend to be physically fit! It could be that they have been born with a larger bone structure, but certainly well-endowed in the breast and buttocks areas.

A fat person by appearance will look like they have let themselves go through a less than active lifestyle. They will have loose under arms, larger and flabbier stomach area. Their ankles will be about the same as the rest of their legs. The face and neck will have extra and loose skin. Rather than an hour glass figure, it is more like that of a pear. This is not to comment on whether they do or do not have a medical problem because some people really struggle with this. It is not meant to be ridicule, just a description.

So a person, who was at one time very thick, could have become very fat. People that are larger by natural genetics may have a problem with becoming fat. It may also be a medical condition. For this, we are only discussing the appearance of thick and fat, not their causes.

Moving to the next explanation, we can say that a person is a little thick in the head or fat in the head means about the same thing. In either case, they are people that have a tough time comprehending concepts. A thick-headed person is one with a sluggish or lazy mind. A fat headed person is a person who is considered a very stupid or ill-advised person. So thick fat-headed people are sluggish, lazy and stupid in their thinking! It is most likely a condition that they choose to be, rather than inherited.

Now when one says that they are thick skinned it means that they can take what life can through at them, they have endurance. Circumstances and situations seem to bounce off of them with little or no setbacks. To be a good salesperson, you would need to be thick skinned to handle all the rejection you would get in your daily life. A thick-skinned person can handle criticism, insults and appears to very seldom get upset. However, using the term “fat skinned” would not make sense here, because fat is looked upon as an unhealthy appearance and would not be conducive to a person’s ability to handle what life has to throw at them.

So now let’s put these terms altogether. It would appear that a person could be thick in appearance, thick-skinned, but not thick or fat-headed. This would be a person who is well proportioned, able to handle life without getting upset or derailed. They are most likely physically fit but are not thick headed because they are intelligent, open to new ideas and thoughts and very proactive in living their life.

By appearance, a fat person could be thick skinned, or not depending on why they became fat. It could mean that they are thick headed or fat-headed because they cannot comprehend how they can better their lives because they are stupid. This does not mean all fat people are in this condition. It just means that they can be.

Now having said all of this, this entire discussion in based on using the terms thick and fat in various contexts that are appearance only! It is easy to judge, but not observe. You would be well advised to get to know a person because sometimes a thick or fat person is only skin deep. They could be a wealth of wisdom, life, and vigor that is disguised by their appearance.

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