XPost: alt.usage.english   
   From: vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid   
      
   Le 01/07/2024 à 06:56, Hibou a écrit :   
   > Le 01/07/2024 à 04:44, HenHanna a écrit :   
   >>   
   >> A pair of pants,    or    A pair of trousers   
   >>   
   >>                   ... ok because each Pair kinda looks   
   like  [2 pipes].   
   >>   
   >>     ...but...   
   >>               "a Pair of Panties" ?????   
   >   
   > There appears to be a class of things that exist only in the plural - a   
   > pair of tweezers, scissors, pliers, sunglasses... trousers, underpants,   
   > knickers, tights... - things that bifurcate or are made up of two bits.   
   > I suppose the briefer garments inherited the plural from longer ones   
   > (though a few minutes' searching yields no support for this; briefs were   
   > apparently in use in Ancient Egypt). [...]   
      
   According to the OED, 'pantalon' (Italian-French) goes back to the comic   
   character Pantaloon, who wore a kind of mediaeval onesie (~1592 onwards   
   in English). With the sense of 'trousers', and usually in the plural, it   
   goes back to ~1661. 'Panties' for menswear goes back to ~1845 ("now   
   rare"), for women's underpants to ~1904.   
      
   "As she laid herself out to stride, the other fellows used to get a fine   
   exhibition of absolutely naked girl from the waist down (for panties   
   were the rare exception, and not the rule then)" - 'Sydney Sportsman',   
   1904/08/24.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)