DiscoverGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingAre you "pantless" or "pantsless"? Who (or what) is Beetlejuice?
Are you "pantless" or "pantsless"? Who (or what) is Beetlejuice?

Are you "pantless" or "pantsless"? Who (or what) is Beetlejuice?

Update: 2024-11-051
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1028. This week, we look at the weird situation when you want to add a suffix (such as "-less") to a plural-only noun such as "pants" or "scissors" β€” with a fun detour for some pants-related idioms. Then, with a new "Beetlejuice" in theaters, we look at the fascinating origin of the name and its role in mythology throughout the ages.

The "pantless" segment is by Jim Norrena, MFA, who has been writing and editing for more than thirty-five years. He’s the founder and principal editor at TypoSuction.com, an independent editing/writing service. He taught grammar and copyediting intensives and professional proofreading workshops at Media Alliance and served as events coordinator for Bay Area Editors’ Forum (BAEF). Visit Linkedin.com/in/jimnorrena/ for his complete work history and highlighted projects.

The "Beetlejuice" segment was written by Samantha Enslen who runs Dragonfly Editorial. You can find her at DragonflyEditorial.com.

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Are you "pantless" or "pantsless"? Who (or what) is Beetlejuice?

Are you "pantless" or "pantsless"? Who (or what) is Beetlejuice?

Jim Norrena, Mignon Fogarty, Samantha Enslen