The only English adjective with a gender split

[Brian G Turner]

Okay, thread title edited from "word" to "adjective". Perhaps that will clear any misunderstanding.

 

[farntfar]

Wrong:
Ken pushed his long blonde bangs from his eyes to observe the enemy.

Correct:
Ken pushed his long blond bangs from his eyes to observe the enemy.

Wrong:
Barbara had a beautiful sheen to her blond tresses that caught the last rays of dying light.

Correct:
Barbara had a beautiful sheen to her blonde tresses that caught the last rays of dying light.

Oh dear.
So we are speaking only of adjectives, and the original statement therefore only works if we insist that tresses are female and bangs are masculine since the agreement is to the noun described not the owner.

Would I as a man have blonde tresses and my sister blond bangs?
I would assume in English that both tresses and bangs are neuter.

I accept that I could perhaps be a blond man and my sister a blonde woman (We are neither), but not the tresses thing.

 

[Ursa major]

Oh dear.

I'm sorry you find this... er... distressing....

​

 

[ErikB]

Did you ever wake up to one of those face palm moments?

LOL. I had no idea this thread would be so complex. I figured a few; "Hmmm that's interesting." Or "I did not know this."

Tresses and bangs? French or old English or Latin? Word or adjective? Vs. or or?

Ahhh what an interesting bunch of writers. I think I am going to enjoy this site.

 

[ErikB]

Okay, thread title edited from "word" to "adjective". Perhaps that will clear any misunderstanding.

Thanks mate!

 

[Dan Jones]

Ray, is that you?

 

[ErikB]

Ray, is that you?

Are you asking if I'm Ray?

 

[Dan Jones]

Who, me?

 

[ErikB]

Who, me?

Okay. Abbott and Costello. I get it.

"Whose on First?"

Good one...

 

[Ursa major]

Whose what is on first...?

​

 

[farntfar]

There's another one that goes something like

Who's drummer is Keith Moon.
What?
No, Watts drums for the Rolling Stones

etc.

PS Are Charlie Watts' bangs blonde?

 

[Ursa major]

And does he always have to ask the wattage question...?

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I find it humorous that so much time is spent sidetracking the simple point of proper use.

You guys rock. Such a fascinating variety of discussion points for this simple thread.

LOL. I had no idea this thread would be so complex. I figured a few; "Hmmm that's interesting." Or "I did not know this."

Ahhh what an interesting bunch of writers. I think I am going to enjoy this site.

Welcome to Chrons!

But I'm not sure why you think we're making a big deal of it. We're only up to page 3.

 

[Coast]

PS Are Charlie Watts' bangs blonde?

Maybe not now, but when he was younger I believe his bangs were brunette... or should I say brunet?!

 

[farntfar]

You are correct Coast, but onlty about his hair.
His drumskins were generally blondish, and that's where you could find his bigger bangs.

 

[Gonk the Insane]

His drumskins were generally blondish, and that's where you could find his bigger bangs.

 

[JunkMonkey]

Sounds like a tabloid headline if ever I saw one: Charlie Watts bangs blondes!

 

[2DaveWixon]

Sounds like a tabloid headline if ever I saw one: Charlie Watts bangs blondes!

...although, come to think of it, since tabloids generally want the "splash" names in their headlines (and since most of their readers likely have no idea who Charlie Watts is), the most likely headline would be "Mick Jagger applauds while Charlie Watts bangs blondes!"

 

[farntfar]

Mick who?