# Why is underwear called "a pair" when it's just one item?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [October 22, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451 "2011-10-22T16:12:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mamavalveeta03](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mamavalveeta03)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/1 "2011-10-22T16:12:59Z")
The other day, my husband asked me if he had a pair of underwear that was clean. I said, “Yes,” and handed him 2 undergarments. He looked very puzzled and inquired, “Why did you give me 2?”
“You asked for a pair. That’s 2. That’s what I gave you.”
We’ve now had a running argument for the past several days over whether or not underwear (aka: panties, undies, boxers, etc.) should be called “a pair.” I say no, and he obviously says yes. I hope someone has the answer to this one, and how DID underwear come to be called “pair” when there is only one item?
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### Author:  [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/2 "2011-10-22T16:22:53Z")
Probably because it was made by joining 2 pieces in early years, similar to a pair of scissors.
But I haven’t heard a ‘pair of underwear’ in usage.
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### Author:  [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/3 "2011-10-22T16:26:56Z")
There is a column about this question:
> **[Why do we say a “pair of pants” when there’s only one of them?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341679/why-do-we-say-a-pair-of-pants-when-there-s-only-one-of-them)**
Basically because we call pants a pair of pants and that stuck with underwear.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/4 "2011-10-22T16:28:36Z")
Add “a pair of pants” to the argument and merriment will surely ensue. It’s common usage is all. Insisting that it’s wrong will just get you pitying looks from those to whom you are speaking.
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### Author:  [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/5 "2011-10-22T17:41:31Z")
Victoria’s Secret definitely avoids the use of “pair” when describing their sales. I always thought that was kind of amusing.
“Buy 3, get 1 panty for free” and other odd-sounding phrases, very common in their fliers. I’m sure the general idea is avoid morons who don’t understand that a “pair” of panties is only one garment!
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### Author:  [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/6 "2011-10-22T17:54:02Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Add “a pair of pants” to the argument and merriment will surely ensue. It’s common usage is all. Insisting that it’s wrong will just get you pitying looks from those to whom you are speaking.
Because you have a left pant leg and a right pant leg which gives you a pair of ‘pants’.
That’s how I always saw it.
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### Author:  [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/7 "2011-10-22T18:24:19Z")
> [@postcards](#):
>
> Because you have a left pant leg and a right pant leg which gives you a pair of ‘pants’.
>
> That’s how I always saw it.
Has there ever been a time when it was fashionable to wear only one pant leg?
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/8 "2011-10-22T18:36:32Z")
Yes, if you are Long John Silver.
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/9 "2011-10-22T19:54:53Z")
If you were an archer, you could have handed him three arrows, since “a pair of arrows” refers to three of them.
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### Author:  [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/10 "2011-10-22T20:15:11Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#):
>
> Has there ever been a time when it was fashionable to wear only one pant leg?
A tailor would refer to a single leg as a ‘[pant leg](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pant+leg)’.
And according to [The Free Online Dictionary](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pant):
> [@](#):
>
> Word History: One would not expect a word for a modern article of clothing to come ultimately from the name of a 4th-century Roman Catholic saint, but that is the case with the word pants. It can be traced back to Pantaleon, the patron saint of Venice. He became so closely associated with the inhabitants of that city that the Venetians were popularly known as Pantaloni. Consequently, among the commedia dell’arte’s stock characters the representative Venetian (a stereotypically wealthy but miserly merchant) was called Pantalone, or Pantalon in French. In the mid-17th century the French came to identify him with one particular style of trousers, a style which became known as pantaloons in English. Pantaloons was later applied to another style that came into fashion in the late 18th century, tight-fitting garments that had begun to replace knee breeches. After that pantaloons was used to refer to trousers in general. The abbreviation of pantaloons to pants met with some resistance at first; it was considered vulgar and, as Oliver Wendell Holmes put it, “a word not made for gentlemen, but ‘gents.’” First found in the writings of Edgar Allan Poe in 1840, pants has replaced the “gentleman’s word” in English and has lost all obvious connection to Saint Pantaleon.
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### Author:  [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/11 "2011-10-22T20:25:16Z")
> [@indian](#):
>
> Probably because it was made by joining 2 pieces in early years, similar to a pair of scissors.
> But I haven’t heard a ‘pair of underwear’ in usage.
A pair of underwear is the only way I refer to it. Otherwise what? An underwear?
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### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/12 "2011-10-22T20:34:03Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Add “a pair of pants” to the argument and merriment will surely ensue. It’s common usage is all. Insisting that it’s wrong will just get you pitying looks from those to whom you are speaking.
This. I’m wondering if the OP was seriously unaware of the standard usage, or was just being intentionally obtuse/dickish in that interaction.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/13 "2011-10-22T20:47:29Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#):
>
> This. I’m wondering if the OP was seriously unaware of the standard usage, or was just being intentionally obtuse/dickish in that interaction.
Seriously. A “pair of underwear” as a reference to a single set of briefs is such common usage I’d think anyone handing me two sets of briefs when I asked for “a pair of underwear” was borderline retarded.
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### Author:  [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/14 "2011-10-22T21:06:10Z")
For many non-English speaking people around the world, the whole plural concept such as “ **a pair of** ” pant **s** , scissor **s** or even shoe **s** let alone things like underwear **s** is very peculiar thing. I may be wrong but in most of non-english languages it’s just a pant (you don’t count legs; it’s just one connected, one piece of clothing). A scissor, not a pair of scissors and shoe, not a pair of shoes; the fact that shoes are normally a pair is a “goes without saying” fact. When one is asked about one particular shoe then you address it as one of the pair. How often people talk about one leg of a pair of pants? I too come to think it’s waste of words if efficiency and speed is a part of the criteria.
I’m all for trimming and streamlining fat off English language. It will probably happen soon enough in our age of _texting while driving_. ‘A pant’ is so much shorter than ‘a pair of pants’.
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### Author:  [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/15 "2011-10-22T22:16:53Z")
> [@Mamavalveeta03](#):
>
> We’ve now had a running argument for the past several days over whether or not underwear (aka: panties, undies, boxers, etc.) should be called “a pair.” I say no, and he obviously says yes. I hope someone has the answer to this one, and how DID underwear come to be called “pair” when there is only one item?
The answer depends on whether you want to use the singular or plural form of whatever term you use for your underclothing. If you’re going to talk about pantie **s** , or undie **s** , or boxer **s** , or underpant **s** , then clearly your underwear is plural and you don’t get to be all snarky about them coming in pairs. If, however, you talk about **a** panty, or **an** undy, or **a** boxer, or **an** underpant, then snark on him all you want.
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### Author:  [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/16 "2011-10-24T20:59:49Z")
> [@astro](#):
>
> Seriously. A “pair of underwear” as a reference to a single set of briefs is such common usage I’d think anyone handing me two sets of briefs when I asked for “a pair of underwear” was borderline retarded.
Even if English was not his first language?
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### Author:  [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/17 "2011-10-24T21:05:47Z")
The “pair” rule doesn’t apply to upper garments for some reason. I have two sleeves in my shirt, but I don’t have a pair of shirts. Bra is singular, camisole is singular, blouse is singular.
But you have a pair of earrings.
This English - she is weird.
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### Author:  [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/18 "2011-10-24T21:13:18Z")
> [@postcards](#):
>
> Because you have a left pant leg and a right pant leg which gives you a pair of ‘pants’.
>
> That’s how I always saw it.
But aha! Ads… say like in GQ magazine… where models are standing dockside … modeling … the caption might say, “Pant by Ralph Loraine.”
How do you explain that non-plural use? 😕
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### Author:  [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/19 "2011-10-24T21:16:39Z")
I’ve noticed that on What Not to Wear - they call it a pant, too. Maybe the fashion world is changing the language?
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### Author:  [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-underwear-called-a-pair-when-its-just-one-item/600451/20 "2011-10-24T21:48:14Z")
I am standing here in my underwear…
I am standing here in my pair of underwear…
You decide.
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