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NL888 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

The nicknames: The Big Palm, The Big Eye...

In our dorm our roommates like to make nicknames for each other. Jackson has two big hands, so we call him The Big Palm; Henry has a pair of big eyes, so we call him The Big Eye.

The question is: Should the nicknames be The Big Palms and The Big Eyes?

The Big Palm is different to The Big Palms because the former is single while the latter plural? So the former is wrong English while the latter proper?
  

Top answer

NL888 The question is: Should the nicknames be The Big Palms and The Big Eyes? No. Nicknames can be whatever you want them to be.

  • NL888 The question is: Should the nicknames be The Big Palms and The Big Eyes?
  • No.
  • Nicknames can be whatever you want them to be.
  • There are no "'should"s or "shouldn't"s.
  • These two (The Big Palm, The Big Eye) sound a bit sinister.
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4 Answers
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NL888The question is: Should the nicknames be The Big Palms and The Big Eyes?
No. Nicknames can be whatever you want them to be. There are no "'should"s or "shouldn't"s.

These two (The Big Palm, The Big Eye) sound a bit sinister. The plural forms do not.
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Why do the two (The Big Palm, The Big Eye) sound a bit sinister? Because they make our memory associate the story of one-eyed bandits?
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The verb "to palm" means to deceive or cheat someone. Magicians use "palm" tricks to make coins, cards, and money "disappear."

The Big Eye allludes to "Big Brother is Watching You" and the Illuminati conspiracy theories. http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NWO/All_Seeing_Eye.htm
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In the US, someone with unusually big hands might be nicknamed "Big Hands." In fact, I seem to recall an athlete who was known as Clarence "Big Hands" Johnson - or something like that. A nickname like "Big Palm" or "Big Palms" would not be used in the US, as the word "palm" is strongly associated with the tree by that name. Other possible nicknames for a big-handed guy might be: "Mitt," "Mitts

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