Nothing to do with the title - that lyric was just echoing round my head at the time!

What I wanted to ask was about the word "handful". The plural, to be precise. Should it be handfuls or handsful? Likewise armfuls or armsful, etc. etc. ad nauseum...

I like the latter option, handsful, because it seems to me that it makes more sense, but maybe I'm just being deliberately awkward!

Any thoughts?

Ros

Any thoughts?
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In my case, yes, but they're utterly inane, thus of little value.

I've only seen "handfulls," but if you prefer the other, why not?

quote:

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plural anomalies

3. Plurals of compound words. These ordinarilly form their plurals logically by attatching the -s to the noun element in them,or, if there is more than one noun, to the significant one. Listeners-in, sons-in-law, heirs presumptive, master mariners, tugs of war, deeds poll.
But many familiar compounds now make their plurals as if they were single words (char-a-bancs, will-o'-the-wisps, four-in-hands)especially if they contain no noun (ne'er-do-wells, forget-me-nots) or are -ful compounds (handfuls, mouthfuls,spoonful;s) or are PHRASAL VERBS used as nouns (take-offs, knock-outs, call-ups)

Fowler

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Glaubt es mir - das Geheimnis, um die größte Fruchtbarkeit und den größten Genuß vom Dasein einzuernten, heisst: gefährlich leben.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Well, I do wish someone would tell the BBC this. Especially since they have gone to such extreme lengths to learn how to pronounce (or so they say) Bombay and various other names, I cannot fathom why they will not educate their journalists to speak English correctly.

Listening to the news is becoming more of a cringe-making excercise than an instructive occupation.

Sigh......




Tadpole

B.H., you surprise me. I had always been taught that "handsful" was correct for the same reason "mothers-in-law" was. I've never heard of an exception for "ful" words.

Then again, I've often proudly and publicly stated that I have given many fantastic "feetrub" in my life.