through the thick of his thumb

[black_velvet]

Some time ago I asked here for a limerick with ‘th’ sounds
I've started practicing it and now I do not understand one phrase from it. Here it is (in bold):

Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle-sifter,
in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,
thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.
Now, if Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle-sifter,
in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,
thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb,
see that thou, in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,
thrust not three thousand thistles through the thick of thy thumb.
Success to the successful thistle-sifter!

I do not understand what Theophilus did to his thumb/what happened to his thumb

[Anglika]

The "thick of his thumb" = the pad on the upper joint of his thumb.
He pushed 3000 thistles through it.

There is no real meaning - this is a tongue twister, so it is the combination of sounds that matter, not the content

[black_velvet]

So to say "thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of one's thumb" is sheer nonsense?
I thought perhaps it could mean that his thumb got 'tired" or something because of all those thistles ))
I can see that being a limerick it does not have to make much sense but still, suppose, I had to explain it/translate it in my language to somebody... ))
They'd think I just did not understand :)

[Anglika]

Just to make something clear - this is not a limerick. It is a tongue-twister. A limerick is specifically a humorous five-line anapestic poem with a rhyme scheme aabba.