scissor anyone?

13 posts / 0 new

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Wed, 2002-07-17 10:24

scissor anyone?

I've been thinking about pairs. you can't have a single scissor or, for that matter a single trouser so why do we have to refer to them as a pair when they are one object made of several pieces?
You could argue that there was once a single trouser of some kind that covered one leg, in the same way that a pair of glasses is so called because originally there was a single eye glass but scissors are, by definition, made of two moving parts. The act of 'scissoring' can't be done with a single piece so why is it called a pair if you can't have just one?

Thu, 2002-07-18 09:07

Hox

Bough Cough Dough Lough Rough Sough Tough Who decided ?

Sun, 2002-07-21 00:13

e-griff

welsh say 'a scissor' , trouser, etc. ask a welsh person for explication. G

Thu, 2002-07-18 20:19

iceman

Probably from Old English or Middle English derivation Hox, thats my wild guess :)

Thu, 2002-07-18 21:49

mississippi

Trouser press. Scissor action.

Wed, 2002-07-17 10:39

janeymack

you could have one trouser if you only had one leg

Wed, 2002-07-17 11:27

Tom Saunders

and a pant

Wed, 2002-07-17 13:01

Stephen Gardiner

to wear over your brief

Wed, 2002-07-17 19:12

mississippi

covering your ball

Wed, 2002-07-17 19:20

#10

freda

hard to keep abreast of it

Wed, 2002-07-17 23:43

#11

Matt

Tried to explain this today to ESOL students Ely, why do we say 'some' trousers, when it is a single item of clothing... I couldn't explain it, changed the subject. Time to refer to the grammar books I reckon.

Wed, 2002-07-17 23:57

#12

Stephen Gardiner

And why doesn't "anathema" take an article, direct or indirect? What's the plural of entropy and does the word onomatopoeia sound like anything? Back to the barrel.

Wed, 2002-07-17 23:57

#13

Stephen Gardiner

And why doesn't "anathema" take an article, direct or indirect? What's the plural of entropy and does the word onomatopoeia sound like anything? Back to the barrel.

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