Languages and Linguistics | Polyglots, Language Learners and Linguists!

611 readers

1 users here now

A community for languages, linguistics and people interested in both!

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

sparky@lemmy.world

sparky

sparky@lemmy.federate.cc

Does anybody use "a scissors"? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 1 year ago by OpticalMoose@discuss.tchncs.de to c/languages@lemmy.world

11 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I was watching an episode of Monk (S03E12), and in the first few minutes, the detective asks his assistant "Do you have a pliers?" That immediately struck me as weird, but later, towards the end of the episode, he makes the comment "This was cut with a scissors." The only place I've ever seen 'a scissors' was in old Peanuts cartoons, and I've never ever heard 'a pliers', but I guess it could make sense in a way.

I grew up saying a pair of scissors or pliers, which is weird in its own way, since it's a single object. I'm just wondering if anyone else has ever heard these terms.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] BitSound@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've heard both "a scissors" and "a pliers", but never "a pants" or "a glasses". If pressed, I don't think anybody would object to the proper term being "a pair of". Since you mention Peanuts, maybe it's a Midwest thing, since Charles Schulz grew up in Minnesota.

[–] OpticalMoose@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 year ago

maybe it’s a Midwest thing

That could be it. I guess in the TV show, the writers are trying to show that Monk is an old fashioned guy who uses outdated terms.