Scissors and trousers are the obvious examples, but the COED lists 598.
There's no logical reason why you can't use any of these words in the singular, but aside from a gay pride march, when have you ever worn one trunk? Is the smallest unit of greeting one felicitaion? If your room is only slightly messy, is that a shamble? How cold are you if you have a solitary goosebump? What kind of surgery can a doctor do with one forcep? So far in this country I haven't got up to a single shenanigan, or had just one operatic.
So welcome to my ephemerum, which required just one cojone to make, and is best seen through a binocular. 598 plural nouns.
| abdabs | ackers | acrobatics |
| adenoids | adnexa | aerobatics |
| aerobics | aerodynamics | aeronautics |
| aesthetics | Africana | afterpains |
| afters | agnolotti | airwaves |
| Albigenses | alexanders | alms |
| amaretti | amends | Americana |
| Amish | analects | animatronics |
| annals | annates | anthropophagi |
| antics | Antipodes | Apocrypha |
| apologetics | aquarobics | arcana |
| archaea | archaebacteria | arisings |
| arms | arrears | astronautics |
| astrophysics | athletics | atmospherics |
| avionics | Bacchanalia | backblocks |
| backstairs | backwoods | badlands |
| Baganda | ballistics | ballocks |
| banns | barracks | Basotho |
| battels | bedclothes | beestings |
| Belgae | bell | belles |
| bellows | belongings | bibliometrics |
| bilboes | billiards | binoculars |
| biodata | biodynamics | bioenergetics |
| bioethics | bioinformatics | biomechanics |
| bionomics | biophysics | biosolids |
| biosystematics | biscotti | blandishments |
| blini | blinks | bliny |
| bloomers | bluchers | blues |
| bollocks | boondocks | boonies |
| bowls | branks | breeches |
| breeks | briefs | bristols |
| Bros | buckyballs | buckytubes |
| bumsters | cahoots | calamari |
| calends | calisthenics | Callanetics |
| callisthenics | camiknickers | cannelloni |
| cantharides | capellini | cappelletti |
| castanets | cattle | chaparajos |
| chaps | chausses | Chilopoda |
| chitterlings | chives | chops |
| chromodynamics | chuddies | churidars |
| circs | civics | cladistics |
| clamdiggers | claspers | claves |
| cleavers | cliometrics | clothes |
| coccidia | cognoscenti | cojones |
| collywobbles | combinatorics | commons |
| congrats | Consols | cornflakes |
| cornrows | craps | crenellations |
| criminalistics | crosstrees | crostini |
| crudités | cryogenics | cryonics |
| culottes | culturati | curiosa |
| customs | cyanobacteria | cybernetics |
| cytogenetics | daks | darbies |
| darts | dermatoglyphics | deserts |
| Dianetics | dibs | dietetics |
| digerati | diggings | digs |
| dioptrics | dogmatics | doldrums |
| dramatics | dreadlocks | dregs |
| droppings | DTs | duckboards |
| dumps | dynamics | earmuffs |
| earnings | eaves | Ebonics |
| econometrics | economics | eights |
| ejecta | electro | electrodynamics |
| electronics | elevenses | energetics |
| entrails | environs | ephemera |
| equites | ergonomics | erotica |
| esoterica | estovers | ethics |
| eubacteria | eugenics | Eumenides |
| eurhythmics | eurythmics | evens |
| exequies | exotica | exuviae |
| facetiae | faeces | fajitas |
| falsies | fantods | farfalle |
| fasces | fauces | fedayeen |
| felicitations | felloes | fettuccine |
| fidayeen | filings | fisherfolk |
| fisticuffs | fives | fleshpots |
| flews | flinders | fluidics |
| folk | folkways | fomites |
| footlights | forceps | forequarters |
| frites | fry | fusilli |
| galligaskins | gallows | galluses |
| gasworks | genetics | genitalia |
| genomics | gentlefolk | geophysics |
| geotechnics | geriatrics | giblets |
| glanders | glasses | gleanings |
| glitterati | gnashers | gnocchi |
| goings | goods | goosebumps |
| goujons | graffiti | graphics |
| grissini | grits | groats |
| grouts | gubbins | gymnastics |
| habdabs | hachures | Hagiographa |
| halteres | hames | have |
| heebie | hindquarters | hip |
| hives | hols | housewares |
| hunkers | hydraulics | hydrodynamics |
| hydromagnetics | hydromechanics | hydroponics |
| Iceni | ides | illuminati |
| imaginings | impedimenta | indicia |
| informatics | innards | isagogics |
| isometrics | jeans | jim |
| jodhpurs | Joneses | juvenilia |
| kalends | kecks | keftedes |
| kinematics | kinesics | kinetics |
| kinfolk | kinsfolk | knickers |
| kreplach | krill | kuccha |
| lamb's | lapilli | lares |
| lashings | leavings | lederhosen |
| lees | leggings | Lepidoptera |
| lights | linguine | linguistics |
| links | literati | logistics |
| loons | Maccabees | macroeconomics |
| macrolepidoptera | magnetohydrodynamics | manes |
| marginalia | married | mathematics |
| maths | means | measles |
| mechanics | mechatronics | megabucks |
| memorabilia | menfolk | meninges |
| menses | metalinguistics | metaphysics |
| microeconomics | microelectronics | microglia |
| microlepidoptera | microphysics | militaria |
| minutiae | miscellanea | mnemonics |
| Mods | moletronics | moneybags |
| monkeyshines | morbilli | mores |
| morphemics | morphometrics | mujahedin |
| mumps | munchies | muniments |
| munition | mustachios | nares |
| nates | neurolinguistics | nightclothes |
| ninepins | nones | noughties |
| nucleonics | numbles | numismatics |
| obsequies | odds | off |
| oligodendroglia | onomastics | oodles |
| operatics | optics | optoelectronics |
| orecchiette | orientalia | orthodontics |
| orthopaedics | orthoptics | orthotics |
| orts | otaku | outskirts |
| overtrousers | paediatrics | pajamas |
| pantalettes | panties | pantihose |
| pants | pantyhose | pappardelle |
| paralipomena | Paralympics | paratroops |
| parings | pataphysics | payess |
| pease | pediatrics | penates |
| penetralia | penne | people |
| periodontics | perogi | personnel |
| pharmacodynamics | pharmacogenomics | pharmacokinetics |
| phonetics | phonics | photovoltaics |
| physics | pickings | pierogi |
| pilliwinks | piroshki | plaudits |
| pliers | pneumatics | poetics |
| politics | porcini | pragmatics |
| premises | proceedings | proceeds |
| prosthetics | proteomics | proxemics |
| pseudepigrapha | psy | psychodynamics |
| psychographics | psycholinguistics | psychometrics |
| psychophysics | psychotronics | pyjamas |
| pyrotechnics | rackets | radionics |
| ramen | ramsons | ratlines |
| ravioli | rectrices | regalia |
| regimentals | reliquiae | remains |
| remiges | reprographics | rheumatics |
| riches | rigatoni | rillettes |
| robotics | rompers | rounders |
| salopettes | Sami | sastrugi |
| scads | scanty | schlieren |
| scissors | secateurs | sedilia |
| semantics | semi | semiotics |
| separate | shambles | shears |
| shenanigans | shingles | shorts |
| Siksika | skunkworks | smithereens |
| soapsuds | sociolinguistics | sonics |
| spätzle | spaetzle | spaghetti |
| spaghettini | specs | spectacles |
| spindle | spondulicks | squitters |
| staggers | statics | statistics |
| stats | steelworks | stemmatics |
| sternsheets | stovies | strangles |
| stylistics | subtropics | suds |
| sunglasses | supersonics | surroundings |
| sweatpants | systematics | tagliatelle |
| talaria | tapas | tectonics |
| tectonophysics | tectrices | teens |
| tefillin | telecoms | telematics |
| telesales | Tenebrae | tennies |
| teraphim | thanks | therapeutics |
| thermae | thermodynamics | thinnings |
| throes | tidings | tights |
| timpani | tinsnips | toiletries |
| toils | tongs | toreutics |
| tortelli | townspeople | tracasseries |
| tradespeople | traps | trews |
| trivia | trousers | trunks |
| tsitzit | tweezers | tympani |
| ultrasonics | umbles | underclothes |
| underpants | undershorts | underthings |
| undies | vermicelli | vibrissae |
| Victoriana | videographics | viscera |
| vivers | Waldenses | waterfowl |
| waterworks | WAVES | weeds |
| weejuns | wildfowl | willies |
| wimmin | withers | womenfolk |
| womyn | workpeople | Y-fronts |
| yaws | yips | yonks |
| ziti |
As someone who loves language and words, I'd never given this any thought before.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your language posts very much even if I don't always comment on them.
Maths? Don't you mean math, without the 's'? This 's' spelling is news to me! :)
ReplyDelete@MJ: I hadn't given it much thought either - and it's supposed to be my job to know about this sort of stuff.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I haven't been to your blog recently because...it's considered sufficiently likely to corrupt and morally deprave, that the Saudi government has blocked it. I'd consider that a perverse compliment.
@Eroswings: In America it's 'math', in Britain it's 'maths' - both obviously short for 'mathematics'.
Is 'mathematics' plural? What about 'politics', 'economics' and 'informatics'? I don't even know whether 'linguistics' is really a plural or just looks like one.