🦏 Thick Skin, To Have A: Thickening Up Against Criticism 🧼

An exploration into the idiom 'thick skin', its origins, meanings, and contrasting it with having 'thin skin'.

thick skin, to have a: To be insensitive to shame, reproof, slander, or criticism. The transfer of a tough epidermis to mental toughness is ancient, appearing in the writings of the Roman orator Cicero, among others. Carlyle wrote in Frederick the Great (1858), “Voltaire was a fool not to have thicker skin.” The opposite is meant by having a thin skin—that is, being hypersensitive to reproof or criticism, or being easily hurt. This usage dates from the late 1600s.

Bounce back – Recover quickly from difficulties.
Let it roll off your back – Don’t let it bother you, like water off a duck’s back.
Don’t take it to heart – Don’t treat it too seriously.
Thick as thieves – Close and loyal, but where your loyalty involves ignoring slander.
Shake it off – Forget about it and move on. (Thanks, Taylor Swift!)
Develop a tough hide – Similar to thick skin, derived from tough animal hides.

😂 Humor-filled Quotes:

“If you have a thin skin, you’re bound to get a lot of paper cuts and bruises!” – Ana Thesaurus
“Some people develop thick skin from criticism. Others find the cheapest form of criticism is their own price sticker.” – Com Lymentary

📚 Suggested Literature & Books:

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl – On resilience and finding meaning.
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown – On courage and vulnerability.

🎵 Songs:

Shake It Off by Taylor Swift – “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate…”
Fight Song by Rachel Platten – An anthem for inner strength and resilience.

🎬 Movies:

The Pursuit of Happyness – A tale of resilience and perseverance.
Rocky – The ultimate underdog story of grit and tenacity.

📜 Provincial Proverbs:

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
“The pen is mightier than the sword, but the armor of thick skin is even mightier.”

🧠 Thought-Provoking Insights:

Building thick skin isn’t about being immune to the world; it’s about choosing what penetrates your center.

### Which of these is akin to 'having thick skin'? - [x] Letting it roll off your back - [ ] Wearing your heart on your sleeve - [ ] Crying over spilled milk - [ ] Making mountain out of a molehill > **Explanation:** Letting it roll off your back, much like having thick skin, involves not taking criticism or negativity to heart. ### Which one signifies the opposite of having thick skin? - [ ] Shaking it off - [ ] Developing a tough hide - [x] Being hypersensitive - [ ] Rolling with the punches > **Explanation:** Being hypersensitive is the antonym of having thick skin, implying one is easily affected by criticism or slander. ### True or False: 'Thick skin' was used by Cicero in ancient Rome. - [x] True - [ ] False > **Explanation:** True. The transfer of a tough epidermis to mental toughness dates back to ancient Roman times and was mentioned by Cicero.

✉️ Farewell Thought:

As you navigate the tumultuous seas of life, remember that developing thick skin—a resilience to the waves of criticism and slander—doesn’t make you insensitive, it makes you the captain of your own ship.

With a hearty and untroubled spirit, Elliot Writewright