What's the difference between affair and thing?

Affair


Definition:

  • (n.) That which is done or is to be done; matter; concern; as, a difficult affair to manage; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public; -- often in the plural. "At the head of affairs." Junius.
  • (n.) Any proceeding or action which it is wished to refer to or characterize vaguely; as, an affair of honor, i. e., a duel; an affair of love, i. e., an intrigue.
  • (n.) An action or engagement not of sufficient magnitude to be called a battle.
  • (n.) Action; endeavor.
  • (n.) A material object (vaguely designated).

Example Sentences:

  • (1) This week's unconfirmed claims that Kim's uncle Jang Song Thaek had been ousted from power have refocused attention on the country's domestic affairs; some analysts say Jang was associated with reform .
  • (2) The issue has been raised by an accountant investigating the tax affairs of the duchy – an agricultural, commercial and residential landowner.
  • (3) They urged the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to make air quality a higher priority and release the latest figures on premature deaths.
  • (4) His walkout reportedly meant his fellow foreign affairs select committee members could not vote since they lacked a quorum.
  • (5) Just before Christmas the independent Kerslake report severely criticised Birmingham city council for its dysfunctional politics and, in particular, its handling of the so-called Trojan Horse affair, in which school governors were said to have set out to bring about an Islamic agenda into the curriculum contents and the day-to-day running of some schools.
  • (6) And I want to do this in partnership with you.” In the Commons, there are signs the home secretary may manage to reduce a rebellion by backbench Tory MPs this afternoon on plans to opt back into a series of EU justice and home affairs measures, notably the European arrest warrant .
  • (7) • Harriet Harman gives a frank interview about the olden days, in which she reveals a passionate affair with Arthur Scargill.
  • (8) George Osborne’s eighth budget is unlikely to be a radical affair , as the state of the public finances and the upcoming EU referendum limit the chancellor’s room for manoeuvre.
  • (9) But, in a sign of tension within the coalition government, the Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman, Tom Brake, told BBC2's Newsnight that "if [the offenders in question] had committed the same offence the day before the riots, they would not have received a sentence of that nature".
  • (10) But in Annie Hall the mortality that weighs most heavily is the mortality of his love affair.
  • (11) In this sense synapse formation must be considered a drawn out affair.
  • (12) Top 10 Arpad Cseh Senior investment director, UBS Alice La Trobe Weston Executive director, head of European credit research, MSIM Morgan Stanley Katie Garrett Executive director, senior engineer, Goldman Sachs Alix Ainsley, Charlotte Cherry H R director, group operations (job share), Lloyds Banking Group Matt Dawson Director for business development, The Instant Group Angela Kitching, Hannah Pearce Head of external affairs (job share), Age UK Morwen Williams Head of newsgathering operations, BBC Georgina Faulkner Head of Sky multisports, Sky Maggie Stilwell Managing partner for talent, UK & Ireland, EY Sarah Moore Partner, PwC
  • (13) The BBC traditionally frowns on its presenters, especially those in BBC News, using columns to comment on news and current affairs.
  • (14) Last week the prosecution dropped a series of allegations that Gail Sheridan, also 46, had lied on her husband's behalf by providing a series of false alibis to cover up his affairs and trips to Cupids.
  • (15) Pointing out that “the army has its own fortune teller”, he sounds less than happy at the state of affairs: “The country is run by superstition.” Weerasethakul is in a relatively fortunate position, in that his arcane films are not exactly populist and don’t depend on the mainstream Thai film industry for funding, but he has become cast as a significant voice of dissent in a difficult time .
  • (16) Nick Clegg, who chairs the cabinet's home affairs committee, is said to have backed May's proposed package.
  • (17) The Miliband dinner will be a more low key affair in London.
  • (18) Last week, Park offered a public apology after acknowledging Choi had edited some of her speeches and provided help with public relations, but South Korea’s media have speculated Choi played a much larger, secret role in government affairs.
  • (19) The Scottish Affairs select committee that is investigating the blacklisting has uncovered documents showing that the police unit monitoring political activists met the blacklisting agency in 2008 to discuss sharing information.
  • (20) After winning his prize, Malcolm Turnbull must learn from Abbott's mistakes Read more Abbott appointed Warren Mundine to head his hand picked advisory council on Indigenous affairs.

Thing


Definition:

  • (n.) Whatever exists, or is conceived to exist, as a separate entity, whether animate or inanimate; any separable or distinguishable object of thought.
  • (n.) An inanimate object, in distinction from a living being; any lifeless material.
  • (n.) A transaction or occurrence; an event; a deed.
  • (n.) A portion or part; something.
  • (n.) A diminutive or slighted object; any object viewed as merely existing; -- often used in pity or contempt.
  • (n.) Clothes; furniture; appurtenances; luggage; as, to pack or store one's things.
  • (n.) Whatever may be possessed or owned; a property; -- distinguished from person.
  • (n.) In Scandinavian countries, a legislative or judicial assembly.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) One thing seems to be noteworthy in their opinion: the bacterial resistance of the germs isolated from the urine is bigger than the one of the germs isolated from the respiratory apparatus.
  • (2) The curious thing, it seems to me, is that she was never criticised for it.
  • (3) I’ve never really had that work versus life thing; it’s all part of the same canvas.
  • (4) I f you haven’t got a family, you need that replaced in some way, that’s the most important thing you can do for someone in care,” says 24-year-old Chloe Juliette, herself a care leaver.
  • (5) Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tried to liven things up, but there are only so many ways to tell us to be nice to chickens.
  • (6) Benzaldehyde's in cherries and cherrystones and amaretto, so it's immediately a base to pair things with."
  • (7) The most difficult thing I've dealt with at work is ... the terminal illness of a valued colleague.
  • (8) Photograph: Gareth Phillips for the Guardian Because health is devolved, the Welsh government can do things differently from England.
  • (9) Nick Robins, head of the Climate Change Centre at HSBC, said: "If you think about low-carbon energy only in terms of carbon, then things look tough [in terms of not using coal].
  • (10) But do you know the thing that really bites?” he pointed to his home, which was not visible behind an overgrown hedge.
  • (11) One radio critic described Jacobs' late night Sunday show as a "tidying-up time, a time for wistfulness, melancholy, a recognition that there were once great things and great feelings in this world.
  • (12) October 27, 2013 7.27pm GMT Around the league And here’s how things look elsewhere, as we head into the fourth quarter: Cowboys 13-7 Lions Browns 17-20 Chiefs Dolphins 17-20 Patriots Bills 10-28 Saints Giants 15-0 Eagles 49ers 35-10 Jaguars 7.25pm GMT End of 3rd quarter: 49ers 35-10 Jaguars The quarter ends with the Jaguars facing a third-and-one at their own 32.
  • (13) The two groups had one thing in common: the casualties' mostly deliberate posttraumatic reaction; there were only 3 patients in a state of helplessness.
  • (14) On a weekend that sees the country celebrate 50 years of independence it is certain that despite all things – good and bad – that have taken place in 2013, the next 50 years will be transformed by personal technology, concerned citizens and the media.
  • (15) One of the things Yang has said he wants to investigate is: "This state we're in ... a moment when we have to negotiate our past while inventing our present."
  • (16) Advancing the health and rights of women is the right – and smart – thing to do for any nation hoping to remain or emerge as a leader on the global stage.
  • (17) Before the offer for the jungle came in she was meant to be presenting the Plus Size Awards this week, an event supporting plus-size people who are doing amazing things but are overlooked by the mainstream.
  • (18) Pekka Isosomppi Press counsellor, Finnish embassy, London • It may have been said tongue in cheek, but I must correct Michael Booth on one thing – his claim that no one talks about cricket in Denmark .
  • (19) In some ways, the Gandolfini performance that his fans may savour most is his voice work in Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are (2009), the cult screen version of Maurice Sendak 's picture book classic – he voiced Carol, one of the wild things, an untamed, foul-mouthed figure.
  • (20) If people improved their consciousness, things would work better.