pair of scissors
20
1.0
- noun
- /pɛr əv ˈsɪzərz/
- To start the craft project, she needed a pair of scissors to cut the fabric.
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Watch on YouTubeOh, yeah, listen, this story, like there's a whole other series of like he got this chick stabbed me with a pair of scissors and she stabbed you, almost killed me.
- Oh, yeah, listen, this story, like there's a whole other series of like he got this chick stabbed me with a pair of scissors and she stabbed you, almost killed me.
- He took a pair of scissors, a knife, and he cut open the cocoon to let the butterfly out 'cause he saw it struggling.
- Swiss Army knife, pair of scissors, some nylon string.
Examples
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I handed her a pair of scissors and some colored pens.
Fiction book (1996) -
Seth is at his desk using a pair of scissors to cut a swath of cardboard from a box.
Fiction book (2000) -
-Or cut them out with a pair of scissors.
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You also bought Nick his very first pair of scissors.
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Do you have a pair of scissors?
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Get me a pair of scissors.
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The father was given a pair of scissors, and he cut the cord.
Fiction book (1995) -
You'll need a good pair of scissors and then these things are optional to use in the end.
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And then take a pair of scissors and you want to cut strips down until about a centimeter from the bottom.
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Once, I accidentally cut myself with a pair of scissors while trimming my bangs.
Synonyms
166
1.0
A tool with two blades that cut thin materials like paper
97
2.5
A tool used to cut materials like glass or dough
24
3.0
Large strong scissors for cutting thick things like hedges or cloth
How Sharp
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'pair' means two items and 'scissors' is a cutting tool composed of two blades, so 'pair of scissors' refers to the (two-bladed) cutting instrument. This compositional relationship is transparent and commonly expressed across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Pair of scissors is named because the tool has two blades joined at a pivot so they move together. The word pair points to those two blades, and that is why the phrase means 'a single cutting tool made of two joined parts'.