These are a pair of questions that I like to ask people from time to time. The questions are half serious and half joking but they I’m sure have real answers. I would really like to know the answers, but I don’t want anyone to research it I would just like your response, I’ve gotten a couple of good ones over the years and no one has had a real concrete answer off the top of their head.

Why do they call it a pair of pants? It is only one garment. I know, I know it has two legs well a shirt has two sleeves and you don’t call it a pair of shirts. It even extends to a “pair of underwear” which for the most part don’t even have leggings just leg holes.

Secondly, how does a light gun work? You know what I mean like on the Nintendo when you play duck hunt how does the game know if I shot the ducks or not? Even more so in the newer shooter games like that Cop series from Namco – and I mean on home systems.

I was just wondering if any one knew off the top of your heads, I prefer that no one actually look up an answer just give a theory.

Hmm, maybe one "sleeve" of pants is called a pant. Perhaps people used to just wear a pant, either on their right or left leg, and when they decided to attach two together for both legs, they became a pair of pants.

I have no idea how Duck Hunt works - if I give in and look it up, I promise not to tell anyone.

Duck Hunt works by placing real, live, miniature fowl in your television set and providing you with a specially-constructed firearm that shoots invisible rounds that have the ability to pierce your television screen without physically damaging it. So when you fire the gun at the TV screen, an invisible bullet is silently expunged from the barrel, through your television screen, and into the depths of tele-reality, where it strikes the miniature digital winged animal, rendering it deceased.

- From the original booklet that came with the game

I see where you're coming from there MistaMista but that can't be true, otherwise that dog would have never laughed at me...

Shit man, I forgot about that dog.

Just in case you're tempted, here are thorough explanations for both your questions. I was interested myself.

Pants

and

Light Gun

Can you resist?