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What does "things" mean here? Could I put "everything" instead and it would mean the same?
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What does "things" mean here? Could I put "everything" instead and it would mean the same?
"Things" is an idiomatic (American English) way to refer to events or circumstances in someone's life. For example:
It's similar but not quite the same as "everything." If someone says, "Things are bad" (or "good") it doesn't necessarily mean that everything is bad or good, just some things, or things in general. For example:
"Things" means ... whatever things are going wrong for this person. It depends on the context. If you said this to a friend whose wife just died, you would be talking about his personal grief. If you said it to a co-worker who was on a project that was behind schedule, you would be talking about the project. Etc.
It's like the word "it". It can refer to almost anything. It depends on the context.
The meaning of this word is defined in the dictionary (in this case Oxford's Lexico):
An action, event, thought, or utterance.
‘she said the first thing that came into her head’
‘the only thing I could do well was cook’3.1. (things) Circumstances or matters that are unspecified.
‘things haven't gone entirely to plan’
‘how are things with you?’
The meaning is different from everything, because everything does not mean unspecified circumstances or matters.