|
Tricky plurals
|
May 9, 2011
|
Why is the word "pants" plural? Some people say it's because pants contain two pant legs, hence a "pair of pants." But my shirt contains two arms; does that make it a pair of shirts? No.
This is an example of a tricky plural. Other examples include a pair of scissors, a set of eyeglasses, and underwear.
Also related: A "TV set" is so called because apparently the components used to come in a set, and the user had to put everything together. #language
|
|
Blood-injury phobia
|
May 9, 2011
|
|
Something like 15% of humans experience blood-injury phobia, a.k.a. passing out at the sight of blood. I'm tempted to think of these people as weak or "maladjusted", but in reality they have a psychological condition that's as much their fault as something like cancer or depression. The interesting thing is that this phobia can be coached out of a person through something called applied tension, which consists of clenching your muscles whenever you're about to faint, which raises your blood pressure. #health
|
|