Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Pant, jean and piece

40 replies

BellaMagnificat · 14/02/2011 23:45

Goddess knows I'm not into style or fashion at all. But there's soemthing especially cringe-worthy when people refer to pants or jeans in the singular. I wince even thinking about it.

Also anyone who talks about an item of clothing (or indded a work of art) as a 'piece' is surely irretrievably lost to pretentiousness?

OP posts:
BluddyMoFo · 14/02/2011 23:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

squeakytoy · 14/02/2011 23:48

Pant & Jean YANBU not that I have ever heard anyone say it though luckily..

Piece.. not sure. I would say for example "I have a nice piece of Doulton" because that is the correct way, and it doesnt sound pretentious to me..

People who talk about their clothes in terms of "this season" or "last season" are a bit twattish though...

newwave · 14/02/2011 23:50

How does "I went out shopping and came back with a few nice pieces" sit with you ?.

BTW YANBU I hate pretension

BellaMagnificat · 14/02/2011 23:51

I have a nice piece of Doulton/nice piece of chocoalte cake/piece of music is fine.

It's when it's referred to in a slightly knowing kind of way by artists amongst each other usually.

Haven't heard anyone say pant or jean IRL but read about it and heard it on radio/telly.

OP posts:
BellaMagnificat · 14/02/2011 23:53

Newwave it sounds hideous to me.
Not least because my childhood name for poo was... oh well never mind. Grin

OP posts:
MrsSippy · 14/02/2011 23:59

I think Gok does that singular thing and the piece thing, like "take a plain black pant and co-ordinate with this seasons key piece"

It does sound painfully 'try-hard'

stressheaderic · 15/02/2011 00:03

I have a friend who says "I just can't wear a high-heeled shoe". No bloody wonder you'd be all uneven with just the one on.

Pant is dreadful. Does it come from the French 'pantalon' which actually is singular though?

BellaMagnificat · 15/02/2011 00:09

I'd forgive the French anything, so no.
I think we have to look further umm, West. {wink]

OP posts:
LovelyJudy · 15/02/2011 00:11

I hate piece too. And though it's not a style thing, i put it in the same loath-compartment as 'cook off your onions' (why the OFF?) and achingly anything.

LovelyJudy · 15/02/2011 00:12

oh oh oh and on-trend.

LessNarkyPuffin · 15/02/2011 00:14

It's the fashion singular.

See here for more info.

muggglewump · 15/02/2011 00:17

I'd like to hit Gok's existentence.

It's nonsense.

He looks stupid, you'd look stupid if you wore a jean, or a sock, or a knicker.

And he could show everyone a banger, but still unflattering clothes.

Bog off Gok.

NearlySpring · 15/02/2011 01:28

It also depends on where you come from.

Irish people often refer to jeans as singular "pass me that jeans" rather than "pass me that pair of jeans"

same goes for scissors the say "pass me that scissors" rather than "pass me that pair of scissors"

UntitledNo2 · 15/02/2011 02:03

NearlySpring... As an Irish person, I have never heard 'pass me that jeans'. Never, ever. I may have heard 'pass me that pair of jeans', but never 'that jeans'. We do speak English, believe it or not.

Likewise, in my 26 years, I have never heard 'pass me that scissors'. 'Pass the scissors', yes. Er, have you ever been to Ireland?

silverten · 15/02/2011 09:03

geek alert

I believe the reason that trouser-like clothing names are plural comes from when they really were two separate articles, one for each leg, worn over hose, in the middle ages.

So anyone who refers to 'a pant' is really just talking about the one leg (and being pretentious).

Bear
Tical · 15/02/2011 09:05

'On trend'

BuzzLiteBeer · 15/02/2011 09:20

Hmm I agree with nearlyspring, we would always say pass the that scissors in this house. Full of Irish people. In Ireland.

BuzzLiteBeer · 15/02/2011 09:21

*me that

UntitledNo2 · 16/02/2011 07:30

'silverten'... Hehe, oh yes, 'a pant' is just one leg, 'a trouser' is just a bit of some clothing. My sister, who has studied make-up artistry, has referred to my make-up as 'a lip', 'an eye', etc. Personally, I prefer to slap on my foundation and lash on my mascara. I don't have 'a bum', 'a face', 'a leg' or 'a boob'. : D

Whatnamechange · 16/02/2011 07:57

Yadnbu it gets on nerves too so does team , I'm going to team this White t with a black pant or creating a mood board , sorry but I really don't have time to create mood boards in the morning or any other morning I'm lucky if I get a brew.
Can I add hand sourced to the list and celebs who like to mix high street with designer , but that's just out of jealousy since most of my clothes are normally a new look pant teamed with a primark tee that I hand sourced myself from a vintage (second hand ) shop .

TheCowardlyLion · 16/02/2011 07:59

'On-trend' is up there with 'working a look' in terms of expressions I hate.

TheCowardlyLion · 16/02/2011 08:01

Oh I absolutely agree with 'sourced'. Even worse, my DSis uses 'thrift' as a verb - i.e. she will claim to have thrifted something from a vintage store Hmm WTF is that all about?

Megatron · 16/02/2011 08:02

I can't bear people talking about 'pieces' it's just knobby.

Buying shoes recently the assistant advised me that they would look 'super with a flesh coloured tight'. Cringe.

QuincyMincemeat · 16/02/2011 08:04

YANBU. Just reading your op, made me want to punch you in the neck. No offence.

Wink
Butterbur · 16/02/2011 09:22

I have another addition to up-themselves fashion twat-speak. Luxe. Wtf is that? It's all over the place in magazines (which I don't buy, but read in the hairdressers).

It's bloody clothes. Why try and make it more important than it is by inventing its own jargon?