Why a pair ?

[Jenny Tools]

Why do you call some items of clothing a pair. ie a pair of pants, a pair of trousers, a pair of knickers. Can you get a single pant ?

[omblod]

Trousers come in pairs because they were originally comprised of two fabric tubes called "trews" that laced together in the middle from front to back to form a single garment. This lacing could be untied to allow for various bodily functions! P.S.This is why some people call trousers, "bags" as they were once, in effect, two bags joined together.

[woofgang]

I have heard posh fashion gurus on tv refer to "the trouser" and my late lamented scots granny used to asked me if I could pass her "a scissor"