From: me@yahoo.com   
      
   On 2024-07-05 22:25:52 +0000, Snidely said:   
      
   > On Friday or thereabouts, wugi asked ...   
   >> Op 4/07/2024 om 19:09 schreef Athel Cornish-Bowden:   
   >>> On 2024-07-04 17:03:35 +0000, wugi said:   
   >>>   
   >>>> Op 1/07/2024 om 7:56 schreef Hibou:   
   >>>>> 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).   
   >>>>   
   >>>> [...]   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Why does English name all these things as pairs, being a single object?   
   >>>> Others like French have a few (lunettes, ciseaux).   
   >>>   
   >>> But pantalon is singular, though the English word derived from it,   
   >>> pantaloons,is plural.   
   >>   
   >> Not an explanation, but it seems like a demonstration of how English   
   >> likes to see things in "double" ;-)   
   >>   
   >>>> Others like Dutch have none of it in plural or "dual".   
   >>   
   >> Even twins are just one "tweeling".   
   >   
   > What is term for each individual twin?   
      
   In the case of my twin grandchildren (not identical, and of opposite   
   sexes) it would be "twin". "She is a twin", "She has a twin brother",   
   etc.   
   >   
   >>   
   >>>> Any historic reason?   
   >   
   > Nah, happened mostly in the quiet times.   
   >   
   > /dps   
      
      
   --   
   Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 37 years; mainly   
   in England until 1987.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)