XPost: alt.usage.english   
   From: a24061@ducksburg.com   
      
   On 2024-07-01, Hibou wrote:   
      
   > 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.   
      
   What does "stride" mean here?   
      
      
   --   
   Morality is doing what's right regardless of what you're   
   told. Obedience is doing what you're told regardless of what is   
   right.                             (attributed to H.L. Mencken)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)