In a message dated 9/17/2004 9:08:56 PM Eastern Standard Time, atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: >> Since when, and why, is 'brain' used in plural? >Dunno. Well, the OED says 'brains' started to be used in the plural (i.e. 'brains', not 'brain') after the sixteenth century. I wondered if this was related to some scientific discovery (e.g. that the brain is composed of _two_ hemispheres? -- the right and the left). >2. Does this apply too to another part of the body. >In the plural? I don't think so. Well, there's 'breast', 'breasts', as per my other e-mail to the list. Apparently an Indo-European dual, applied literally to females and figurative 'to lower animals'. In Latin, it was always singular: _pectum_, regardless of gender (neuter, in fact). >Could you please justify the use of the plural of 'brain' as a form of praise >when normal people are supposed to have _one_ brain. >I don't need to justify the English language. Is that because you won't -- or you can't? I think 'brains' is actually _not_ a plural, but (as per my syntactic variations), a 'mass noun', as 'sugar', or, indeed, 'blood' -- to stick to body. Interestingly, a page at _http://www.expatvillage.com/started/becoming/standard_page_BL.cfm?ObjectId=98 &CFID=1988865&CFTOKEN=75276582_ (http://www.expatvillage.com/started/becoming/standard_page_BL.cfm?ObjectId=98&CFID=1988865&CFTOKEN=75276582) which gives the English for different 'Argentine cut'(s) of meat gives sesos -- as 'brains' (of the cow), as they are eaten -- a derivation from Latin _sensu_. Cheers, JL ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html