In typical usage you’ll usually see them like this (the $this usage may vary):
this– Refers to the DOM element in the handler you’re currently on, but this may be another object entirely in other situations, but it’s always the context.$this– Usually created byvar $this = $(this)a cached version of the jQuery wrapped version for efficiency (or chain off$(this)to get the same in many cases).$(this)– The jQuery wrapped version of the element, so you have access to all its methods (the ones in$.fnspecifically).