Love This!

DEAR ABBY: My name is Christian. I am 10 years old and in the fifth grade. I want to know why jeans are called a “pair.” A pair is like a pair of socks or a pair of gloves. But jeans are only one piece of clothing. Unless you cut the jeans in half and still wear it. THEN you could call it a pair — which could be embarrassing. Please let me know. — CHRISTIAN IN BLYTHEWOOD, S.C.

DEAR CHRISTIAN: I have been asked in the past why people call trousers “a pair of pants.” Technically, a “pant” is the leg of a garment. Two pants (legs) make up a “pair” of pants. Got it? I suspect that “pair of jeans” evolved from “pair of pants.”

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

It’s part of MSN/Windows Live’s newsletter partnership.