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- etymology - Why do we use the plural heads and tails when . . .
In expressions like heads and tails, we really are not referring to the literal head or tail on a coin The symbolism is merely a convenient way of referring to the obverse and reverse sides of the coin We generally use the plural when a metaphor or a symbolism is used this way to refer to a certain class of associated things
- Where does the term heads or tails come from?
Everyone's heard of "heads or tails?", the traditional invocation for a coin toss The head is obvious: most government-issued coins, from antiquity to modern times, have borne the bust of some famous ruler on one side But most coins do not come with some tailed animal on the back, so where does the ubiquitous expression come from?
- Head or tail? vs Heads or tails? - English Vocabulary, Grammar and . . .
Heads or Tails is a coin-tossing game Most coins have a side where the imprint of a person, such as a current or former head of state, is impressed — this side is called the “heads” side (since the embossing is of the head of a person) The other side may have any imprint, or none, and is called the “tails” side
- . . . the probability of flipping exactly one head [s] and three tails
For one head and three tails, the probability is the same as one tail and three heads It still sounds awkward to me, as do other usages in the same book, such as: The probability of the first coin giving a head is ½ I'd definitely avoid that phrasing, particularly for the college crowd In any case, head or heads in the listed contexts?
- Meaning and usage of head (s) AND tails above?
Personally I think heads and tails above [the competition is a kind of "eggcorn" misunderstanding mishearing of the idiomatic standard head and shoulders above
- What are the names of the two sides of a coin? [closed]
The obverse of a coin is commonly called heads, because it often depicts the head of a prominent person, and the reverse tails In fields of scholarship outside numismatics, the term front is more commonly used than obverse, while usage of reverse is widespread
- Idiom about not being useful - English Language Usage Stack Exchange
5 They couldn't make heads or tails of it until they flipped it over to read the instructions not make head or nor tail of (idiom) variants: or US not make heads or nor tails (out) of informal To be unable to understand (something) I couldn't make heads or tails of her reaction
- Coin with the same obverse and reverse
The term used in numismatics appears to be double-sided (heads or tails) coin They are referred to also as double two-headed tailed coins (Amazon com) How Much is a Two-Headed Coin Worth
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