Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
thing (n.)
Should you always replace thing with a more specific word? Thing is indeed an all-purpose word, and it is heavily used in Conversational and Informal contexts precisely because it has a relaxed, broad-spectrum quality: This proposal may be the thing we’ve been looking for. Use it where it fits, but shun it should it seem likely to become a tic in your speech or prose. Don’t let the thing become a thing with you, either way.
