why don't we refer to a shirt as a pair of sleeves?
Asked by:
Ben Murphy on
March 27, 2007 at
8:45PM EST
Why don't we refer to a shirt as a pair of sleeves or something? You know 'cause we have a pair of socks, a pair of shoes, a pair of pants, a pair of gloves, and for some people a pair of ear rings. If anyone knows the answer I'd love to hear it. thank you.
(4) Answers
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Answered by: A on March 28, 2007 11:18AM EST
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Answer: The "great American T-shirt" actually originated overseas when American soldiers in WW I took a lesson from their European counterparts and started wearing cooler, light-weight, cotton undershirts instead of their wool uniforms in the hot summer climates.
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When T-shirts first came out, they were made out of cotton and were used as "banyans" (as we call them in India). Nowadays, a T-shirt can be made of any material and you can buy them in different shapes and sizes - with or without collars and with or without pockets. The first cotton T-shirt came without a collar. When a T-shirt without a collar is spread out on the table or bed it resembles the capital letter "T", doesn't it? That's why it was called a "T-shirt"; because it was shaped like the letter "T". In the 1950s, when T-shirts became extremely popular both in Europe and America, advertisers realised that they were a great way of promoting products. Soon we had T-shirts with slogans written on them. The title of a well-known book on communication published in the 1990s is called "Can you put it on a T-shirt?"
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Answered by: GoneGirl on April 5, 2007 2:42PM EST
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