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From: Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid>
Newsgroups: sci.lang,alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: "a Pair of Panties" ?????
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2024 06:56:49 +0100
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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).

I observe that the kilt is singular - two legs, but only one hole.

> "Keep your pantyhose on." -------   [The Abyss]   quote
> 
> Clip.Cafe
> https://clip.cafe › the-abyss-1989 › keep-pantyhose-on
>               Actors.     Virgil 'bud' Brigman     by Ed Harris ·
> 00:12. Starting our descent along the umbilical.

But not pantieshoses.