Even when the regular word was still pantaloons, singular pant was used to refer to a pantleg. (The OED labels pantleg as “obsolete,” but it’s the word I grew up hearing. Ex. One pantleg is shorter than the other.)
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Is there such thing as a singular pant?
Pants are a singular object. Then why do we say “pants” instead of “pant”? It’s a common vagary of the English language that pants—or trousers, slacks, khakis, shorts—is always presented as a plural. It’s never pant, but rather a pair of pants.
Is one pant a pair?
“Pair,” from the Latin, means two like things. And pants (pantaloons) were originally two like things. You put them on one leg at a time because they actually came in two pieces. You put on one leg, tied it around your waist, then put on the other.
Is each leg a pant?
It’s the most common term for that very common piece of clothing that covers the body from the waist to the ankle (give or take), with a separate part for each leg. But the word pants is rooted in comedy. Image of Pantalone. The word ‘pants’ comes to us from an Anglicization of the character’s name, “Pantaloon.”
What is one pant leg called?
This part is the “trouser leg“. I believe in American English “pant leg” or “pantleg” is also used. Or “pants leg”, as weird as that might sound.
Why are pants always plural?
Think of items that are usually referred to in plural—often preceded by “pair of” or something similar, even when there is only one item: pliers, glasses, scissors, sunglasses, tweezers, etc. So, pants is a type of noun that is used only in its plural form, even when there is only one item being discussed.
Why are trousers always plural?
Trousers is plural partly because of a fairly simple misunderstanding. The word is derived from the old Irish word triubhas, which was singular, and referred to close-fitting shorts. The S at the end led people to assume it was a plural word, thus leading to trousers being plural.
Is it a bra or a pair of bras?
Not because of the dual nature of the breasts themselves, but because the garment came in two parts and was laced together. That’s probably why the modern woman doesn’t put on “a pair of bras” in the morning. Now that the garment is in one piece, the pluralness isn’t there anymore.
Is it one pant or pants?
Q: So you have two pant legs, and when you stitch them together, you get “a pair of pants”. A: Exactly, and last we checked, that was the better way to wear pants. So we advise that using “pants” is the way to go – and leave “pant” for the fashionistas.
Is a pair of jeans one or two?
To talk about one piece of clothing we say “a pair of jeans“. For more than one we say “pairs of jeans”. You can also just say “jeans” for one pair. To call it “a jean” is incorrect.
What does wearing one pant leg up mean?
The second revolves around drug dealing in which it can either signify that you are a dealer or a buyer, depending on if you roll up the left or right pant leg. The third explanation is that some gangs use either the left or right side of their bodies to signify which gang one belongs to.
Who started the one pant leg up?
The masterminds behind the fad were New York bike messengers from the late 1970s and early 1980s. “One of the messengers’ signatures was to roll up a pant leg to avoid getting their trousers caught in their bicycle chains,” Lynette Holloway wrote.
What pant leg do Bloods roll up?
The “FOLKS” gangs wear their identifiers to the RIGHT side of the body. This includes, but is not limited to, hats, jewelry, or a rolled-up right pant leg.
Do we say a pair of shorts?
Don’t say `a pants’ or `a shorts’. You can say a pair of pants or a pair of shorts. It doesn’t take long to choose a pair of pants. He is wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
Why do we say a pair of scissors?
We began calling an individual scissors a pair to emphasize the matched cutting blades. There’s precedent for it. Before we called them scissors, we called them shears, and pair was used with shears for about 100 years before scissors arrived on the scene.
How many bras does the average woman own?
16
“The study showed women spend 2,700 [about $4,000] on bras during their lifetime,” the article says. “On average, they own 16 at any one time, topping up their collection with four purchases each year.”
How many bras should a woman own?
The formula: depending on your lifestyle and personal preferences, you’ll need 4 everyday bras and 3 specialty bras. Here’s why: Consider how many of your bras you actually wear. There’s a chance that 90 percent of the time, you wear only a few bras on rotation.
Why is a bra called a bra?
And the “brassiere,” as a widespread concept—the word comes from the French for “upper arm”—is generally thought to have originated with the DeBevoise Company, which used the term in advertisements for its whale-bone-supported camisoles.
Can we say a pants?
“Pants” is correct. We don’t say “He is wearing a pant.”
Does jeans have singular?
In most cases, to make a singular noun to a plural noun, we add an ‘s’ or ‘es’ after the word. However, as you can tell from the word ‘jeans’ there are some words that never have a singular form. Which means that even if there is just one item, we always use the plural form (jeans).
What is a single pant?
When the word pant was documented as being used to refer to the entire garment in 1893, the term pants was still new enough to be recognized as an abbreviation of the older word pantaloons. Even when the regular word was still pantaloons, singular pant was used to refer to a pantleg.