pair — ODE · Shobdo

pair /pɛː

▸ noun

1 a set of two things used together or regarded as a unit:

a pair of gloves

three pairs of shoes.

▪ two people related in some way or considered together:

a company run by a pair of brothers

get out, the pair of you

students work alone or in pairs

[as plural noun] the pair are said to dislike each other intensely.

▪ a mated couple of animals:

76 pairs of red kites.

▪ two horses harnessed side by side:

she enjoys driving her pair.

▪ the second member of a pair in relation to the first:

each course member tries to persuade his pair of the merits of his model.

▪ two playing cards of the same denomination:

Jacobs had two pairs.

2 an article consisting of two joined or corresponding parts not used separately:

a pair of jeans

a pair of scissors.

3 either or both of two members of a legislative assembly on opposite sides who absent themselves from voting by mutual arrangement, leaving the relative position of the parties unaffected:

one minister was flatly refused a pair by his Tory opposite number.

▸ verb [with object]

1 put together or join to form a pair:

she wore a cardigan paired with a matching skirt.

▪ [no object] (of animals) form a pair for breeding purposes:

killer whales pair for life.

2 give (a member of a legislative assembly) another member as a pair, to allow both to absent themselves from a vote without affecting the result:

arrangements are usually made between the party whips for an absent member on one side to be paired with an absentee on the other.

3 wirelessly connect (an electronic device) to another via Bluetooth:

you'll now be able to pair your watch directly with a set of Bluetooth headphones.

– PHRASES

grow a pair informal
become more courageous or resolute:

all you have to do is grow a pair and ask her out if you want to.

in pairs /ˌɪn ˈpɛːz

/
in groups of two:

ravens are usually seen in pairs.

pair of hands
used in reference to a person seen in terms of their participation in a task:

we can always do with an extra pair of hands.

– PHRASAL VERBS

pair off (also pair up) form a couple, especially in a romantic or sexual relationship:

all my friends had paired off

journalists seem to pair off with journalists a lot

Rachel has paired up with Tommy.

– ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French paire, from Latin paria ‘equal things’, neuter plural of par ‘equal’. Formerly phrases such as a pair of gloves were expressed without of, as in a pair gloves (compare with German ein Paar Handschuhe).