thus and such

9.9

To talk about things already mentioned when the details are not important

idiom

Informal

: tal y cual

Whenever I ask for specifics, he just mentions thus and such and quickly changes the subject.

Examples

During the interview, she said thus and such about her experience but didn't provide details.
In her report, she referred to thus and such as the causes of the delays.
I bought some items and thus and such for the party.
The report included details about thus and such.
During the discussion, he mentioned thus and such to summarize the main points.
She indicated several options, including thus and such, but didn’t elaborate.
When asked about the project, he simply said thus and such, leaving everyone confused.

Synonyms

something like that

vsthus and such

259 2.0

A thing like the one just mentioned

refers more broadly to prior things when specifics are unimportant or forgotten

and so forth

vsthus and such

16 1.0

Use to refer to other things like those already mentioned

refers to an earlier thing when details are vague or not remembered

and so on

vsthus and such

8 1.4

To talk about other similar things without naming them

refers to a prior item or detail when exact specifics are unimportant or forgotten

Surface Forms

thus and such main

Morphology

thus + and + such

The word 'such' (of that kind) together with 'and' gives a clue ('and similar things') so a learner might infer a vague-listing sense, but 'thus' ('consequently') does not naturally combine to produce the pragmatic meaning 'things previously mentioned or unimportant details.' The overall conventional use and pragmatic nuance are not fully predictable from the parts, so learners may guess the rough sense but would need exposure to acquire the exact usage.

Etymology

Thus and such comes from a quick, old way of pointing to things without naming them: a speaker might say thus and such while waving a hand instead of listing details. So, it is used to mean 'without details' or 'in a vague way'.