But plenty of medicine has only a thin base in scientifically reviewed evidence, meaning that the opinions, judgments and prejudices of individual doctors often determine how treatment is given.

ECONOMIST: Restarting hearts

That thin evidence base made the European agency reluctant to approve the drug initially.

MSN: European regulators back first gene therapy drug

But, given its thin financial base, the company would be unwise to aim to be a force in every market that deregulates.

ECONOMIST: Leading from the front

Nostalgia for cultural innocence is a pretty thin emotion to base a feature film on.

NEWYORKER: Matinee

Admittedly, this represents a thin reed on which to base a recommendation.

FORBES: The Growth Recession Of 2012 And The Presidential Election

Thin funding lies at the base of this.

ECONOMIST: Argentina

But the insurers' capital base is now so thin that they may not be able to pay any claims.

ECONOMIST: The credit crisis

Irregularly shaped openings emanate from the base and are concentrated around the thin edge of the wedge-shaped building.

WSJ: Stays: Conrad Beijing

Keyboards: The Surface Pro offers two kinds of wafer-thin keyboards which are magnetically and electrically linked to the base of the tablet.

FORBES: Why You Want The Microsoft Surface Pro (And Why You Don't)

Funnel clouds look like cone-shaped or thin rope-like protuberances which hang down from the cloud base, and often do not last very long.

BBC: Funnel clouds, twisters, tornados: What are they?