very thing, the

very thing, the idiom
Exactly what is needed or wanted, as in That hat's the very thing to complete the costume. This idiom, which uses very to denote exact identity, was first recorded in 1768.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.