# the plot thickens

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/the-plot-thickens
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Used to describe an increasingly complex or mysterious situation.

## Examples

- The plot thickens as we find more clues.
- The plot thickens when the manager suddenly deletes all the office emails.
- The plot thickens as my neighbor starts digging in his garden at midnight.
- I thought the mystery was solved, but then the plot thickens when a new witness appears.
- We expected a quiet family dinner, but the plot thickens now that your brother has arrived with an uninvited guest and a large suitcase.
- I assumed the company was just losing money, but the plot thickens because the CEO recently moved to a country with no extradition laws.
- As the detective uncovered a hidden connection between the suspects, he realized the plot thickens, revealing a conspiracy far deeper than he had initially imagined.

## Origin

Attributed to the 1671 satirical play The Rehearsal, the phrase entered the language as a commentary on the increasingly convoluted nature of a narrative. It is first recorded in this dramatic context, where it served to note the deliberate complication of a theatrical production'

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.