# Do you see "minus one degree" or "minus one degrees"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 4, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844 "2014-01-04T02:34:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/1 "2014-01-04T02:34:23Z")
I just thought of this silly silly thing when pondering the fact that one degree above zero is just “one degree.” I instinctively thought of saying “minus one degrees” or “negative one degrees”, but realized there’s no grammatical reason whatsoever I can think of to do so. It was just instinct. What about the rest of you? ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/2 "2014-01-04T02:53:13Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I just thought of this silly silly thing when pondering the fact that one degree above zero is just “one degree.” > > I instinctively thought of saying “minus one degrees” or “negative one degrees”, but realized there’s no grammatical reason whatsoever I can think of to do so. It was just instinct. > > What about the rest of you? I would say ‘one below’. ETA: I actually might also say ‘minus one’. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/3 "2014-01-04T02:56:15Z")
Yeah, I would say “It’s minus one outside.” No degrees at all. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/4 "2014-01-04T02:58:51Z")
Of the two choices in the OP, I’d say “minus one degree”. But I’d be more likely to say “one below”. Coincidentally, it actually was minus one degree outside when I was in my car about an hour ago. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/5 "2014-01-04T04:02:50Z")
Negative One Am I the only one(other than my wife) that says this? ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/6 "2014-01-04T05:00:23Z")
Who says “i i degrees” ? ---
**Author:** ![Cognitive\_Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Cognitive\_Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cognitive_Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/7 "2014-01-04T05:09:36Z")
Fkn freezin’ ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/8 "2014-01-04T05:26:18Z")
I say one below and that is downright balmy. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/9 "2014-01-04T13:34:26Z")
I say “negative one.” ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/10 "2014-01-04T13:41:34Z")
At least 2 local news readers on TV have said _“It’s minus 4 degrees below zero.”_ Seriously?? I don’t think either were weather-readers - I think they were reporters in the field doing spots while standing outside in the cold. Still, two different channels, two different idiots. And I’d probably say “one below.” ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/11 "2014-01-04T14:30:55Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > At least 2 local news readers on TV have said _“It’s minus 4 degrees below zero.”_ This is annoyingly common. How out of it do you have to be for this to not grate on your ears? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/12 "2014-01-04T14:33:55Z")
I see it as “1 below” or “1 below zero”. 9 below zero, however, is a different story… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/q2orkewNWuQ/hqdefault.jpg "9 Below Zero On The Young Ones") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2orkewNWuQ) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/13 "2014-01-04T14:42:28Z")
I would go with “minus one degrees” but I’m not sure I can fully express why. Why do we say “zero degrees” and not “zero degree”? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-see-minus-one-degree-or-minus-one-degrees/677844/14 "2014-01-04T14:50:13Z")
If my elected officials cannot keep outdoor temperatures above _freaking zero_, I see no reason to support their reelection bids.:mad: