a thing
1. A complicated situation; something that causes a dispute. A: "Ugh, I forgot to invite Penny to the party, and now it's a whole thing." B: "Oh man. Is she mad at you?" Please tell me this isn't going to be a thing between us. Can we just forget about it?
2. A popular, significant, or well-known entity or person. Elizabethtown came out in the early 2000s, back when Orlando Bloom was a thing.
3. A romantic couple. Are Jack and Anna a thing again? I thought they broke up.
4. A phenomenon that is (at least somewhat) widely recognized and/or practiced. Yep, mom jeans are a thing now in the fashion world. Is stealthing really a thing? Wow, modern society is truly awful.
a whole thing
A complicated situation; something that causes a dispute. A: "Ugh, I forgot to invite Penny to the party, and now it's a whole thing." B: "Oh man. Is she mad at you?" Please tell me this isn't going to be a whole thing between us. Can we just forget about it?