A Conversation for Ask h2g2

Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 1

KB

I don't, but "fashion people" always seem to. smiley - huh

It's just a question that popped into my head today, when I was putting on a durable, hard-wearing, classic blue denim trouser. It's a very popular trouser!


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 2

bobstafford

Yes sometimes only because others I know do its very 1920's though PG Woodhouse and all that.

I would have thought trouser was the correct term for one garment though.smiley - smiley


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 3

KB

Historically, trousers were two distinct garments, then someone thought of joining them together in the middle. Similarly, you can get gloves for kids, that are joined together by a string going down the arms of their coats, so they don't lose them. But joining them with the string doesn't make them "a glove", they are still gloves. smiley - laugh


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 4

Bald Bloke

How about
"The Fat Cat Trousered the back hander." I'll suggest that's singular


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 5

Sho - employed again!

well that's using it as a verb, so it's only singular in that it's 3rd person singular smiley - smiley


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 6

Deb

I know what you mean by fashion people. They're the same people who say "I love a red lip" or "I favour a smoky eye". What, just one?

Deb smiley - cheerup


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 7

KB

I'm glad that the second S is missing in the verb form - "trousersed" would be a very awkward word to have to say! smiley - biggrin


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 8

ITIWBS

Only for the one legged, or Arcturan unipods.

The medieval Scottish term for trousers, 'trews', is also in the plural.


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 9

2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side...

Yes... sometimes... but more in the 1920s derived usage, via, the 1960s err or 70s, inclusion of the singular 'trouser', in the Bonzo song, the Trouser press. And, come to think of it, more often than not, in the utterence randomly of the phrase 'lets do the trouser press baby, yeh'. at inoppertune moments. smiley - alienfrown


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 10

KB

I'm guessing your understanding of the phrase "trouser press" might be somewhat different from mine? smiley - laugh


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 11

2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side...

My understanding of 'the trouser press', is, I guess, in many ways, due to extensive consideration of its nature, and, often co-existant consideration of the meaning of 'shirts', as in 'I'd like to talk to you about shirts', etc. In, it has to be said, a way, which in many ways, more recently, has come to an understanding of the 'trouser press', as soemthing, although not entirely the same as (for obvious reasons), something which, in some regards, has a simular meaning, or connertation, or at least, bares some scant resembelenace, to the meanig of the phrase 'The mud shark'. smiley - zensmiley - musicalnotesmiley - divasmiley - disco seriously. Mind, I've re-invented the 'mud shark' a couple times myself, in order to have suitable dance routeens to do, primarily for the deployment of new washing up squidgys, and, indeed, more recently, for the thus far only once performed, 'new handmade dish cloth' version of the same. smiley - zensmiley - erm yeh. that's the kinda way the world sort of rolls in my head. Confuses the eck out of me sometimes... smiley - alienfrownsmiley - diva


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 12

bobstafford

What are you on 2legs...... And where can you buy itsmiley - laugh


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 13

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

I compromise. I say "When I dress, I put on one trouser leg at a time."


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 14

2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side...

- bobstafford
"What are yo"
on 2legs...... And where can you buy it"


I am... on nothing, at all thesedays... smiley - zen cept cafine and nicotine... barely drink booze anymore either... So... guess I@m just 'onl life' smiley - zen fresh air, love and peace, maan. smiley - zen just, seeminly without need to resort to dope as was more commonly the way I seem to recall with hippys smiley - zen towel folding meditation and smiley - blushsmiley - loveblushsmiley - zen unfolding the unreality of reality from the twisted conformations of my constructed ego, to reveal a picture of a non-constructed universe, impeded not by preconseptions and faulse created consciousness smiley - zen probably or soemthing smiley - zen


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 15

bobstafford

smiley - cool


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 16

2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side...

smiley - boing and rediscovering... or reinventing... or just 'discovering' again, myself eternally it appears smiley - blush Life can be a constant supprise soemtimes smiley - whistlesmiley - boingsmiley - blushsmiley - magicsmiley - zoom who knows quite where its heading next... I've seriously not a clue smiley - laughsmiley - boing but it looks interesting.... whichever path its destined to go down smiley - zensmiley - towelsmiley - zensmiley - towelsmiley - zen Just letting my mind relax... and f floating off onto whatever the next 'adventure' might be smiley - zensmiley - towelsmiley - zensmiley - towel


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 17

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Non-constructed universe, eh? Did the carpenters quit before finishing it?


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 18

2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side...

smiley - laugh nah... not quite... the universe of real reality, unimpinged and unfettered by constructions of mankind, layered over the top, to create teh artifical reality of experience that is every day life smiley - zen pure... unadulterated reality without social constructs of reality and normality impinging its full realisations within the human mind smiley - zen or soemthing... I guess... all sounds like utter tosch when written down smiley - blush


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 19

You can call me TC

Oh dear, this is such fun, I was going to say something about the word trouser, but it would spoil the flow.


Do you use the word "trouser" in the singular?

Post 20

You can call me TC

What? - Oh? I've already broken it. Well then. Erm. My father was a little boy in the 20s and people hadn't worked out how to make baby-sized jeans and things then, so until he was 5 he was in skirts. The first time a five-year-old boy wore his trousers was a very big deal and we have a lovely photo of him in his little sailor suit with masses of curly blond hair.

I seem to remember my aunt or my father saying that this was called being "trousered".

Another use of the word as a verb.


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