An Entry Saturday, May 16, 2026

The Thiccctionary

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Tuba, Contrabass

Plate XXIV., The contrabass tuba, in majestic repose, surveys its dominion over the sonic landscape.

Photo by Curioso Photography on Unsplash

Tuba, Contrabass

/TOO-buh, CON-tra-bass/  n.
  1. 1. A wind instrument of considerable girth, often described as a brass behemoth with a voluminous bell, especially when viewed astern in raking light.
  2. 2. colloq. An orchestral fixture that does not simply play low notes, but rather plants them with seismic authority.
In a sentence,

"The band marched on, led by a contrabass tuba so thiccc that its resonance could reroute parades. The streets resounded in submission."

Etymology,

From Italian 'tuba', meaning 'trumpet', and Latin 'contrabassus', meaning 'below the bass'. This instrument's name is a polite understatement.

Sources

  1. Photograph by Curioso Photography, via Unsplash. Catalogued under plate N.
  2. Direct ruling URL: thiccctionary.com/is/tuba-thiccc/ — the shareable "Is a tuba thiccc?" page.
  3. Cross-reference: Thiccctionary A-Z, T.
  4. Catalogued under: Musical Instruments. See related entries below.
  5. Editorial review: pending objection from the Senior Cataloguer's office.

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