Set of Twins

Hi, you have A Way with Words.

This is Bill Lundgren from Denton, Texas.

Hey, Bill. Welcome.

What’s up? What can we help you with?

I guess my question is, I used to work with a guy, and he had twins.

Well, he had four children that were twins, and he used to say that I have a set of twins.

And some people just kind of instinctively knew that he had two pairs.

To me, when he said I have a set, I thought he meant he just had one set.

You know, one pair of twins.

But some people, I don’t know.

Some people understood and some people didn’t.

That’s interesting.

So he wouldn’t say I have a matching set of twins?

No, he would just say I have a set of twins.

And were they identical or fraternal?

Each one was.

Each pair were, I guess it was a male and a female.

I guess it was paternal.

Fraternal.

Oh.

Oh, both paternal.

That might explain it because if he had one boy and one girl in each one, then he’s got a matching set.

So he’s got pairs of boys and pairs of girls but not in the same twin set.

But how did people know that?

I don’t know.

I wouldn’t know that.

I would assume he meant two kids.

Yeah, I would too.

If he set a set of twins.

Set of twins, yeah.

We used to go round and round about that.

It would be in – I’m in aviation, so I work around engineers.

But everybody would have a different take on what a set of twins were.

Oh, boy.

I don’t understand it, frankly.

I really don’t, Bill.

I’m very confused here.

I don’t know why anyone would understand to say I have a set of twins is to mean four people.

So what we’re talking about here is the definition of set.

And isn’t that one of the longest entries in any dictionary?

Yes, it is.

I mean—

And I know there are some mathematical definitions that are very specific.

I don’t think they encompass the notion of four or two matching pairs or two sets.

Did this ever cause him problems when he said, I’m coming over with my set of twins for dinner or something?

And they had to set two more plates.

No, not that I know of.

I think by the time I met him, they were already up in age anyway.

Okay.

Bill, I am one of a pair of twins.

I don’t know if you knew that.

No.

Nobody in my whole life, there’s no circumstance under which anyone talking about the set of Barrett twins, nobody would ever think that was four people as far as I’m concerned.

I just don’t see that possible.

Somehow, I guess by when he would say it, it just came across and that you would have, there would be another pair of Barrett twins for him to say a set.

A set.

And so what if he had two sets of triplets?

That’s what we used to go around and around about.

Two groups of triplets, because I can’t use the word set that way.

That would be a lot of kids.

That would be a lot of kids.

We used to bring in a set of tires as four, a set of shoes.

We’d talk about a pair.

But a set of tires as four.

On our truck, a set of tires could be 10 for an 18-wheel truck.

Sure.

But a set of bookends is only two.

It’s not four somehow.

So he would say a pair of twins, but a set of twins.

A pair of twins is two and a set is four.

Bill, you know what we have to do?

We have to.

We have got to ask the world.

If somebody said to you, at home I have, it’s my wife, the dogs, and a set of twins,

Would you understand that to mean two or four kids?

Right.

If they said I’m bringing my wife and a set of twins over for dinner,

How many plates would you set out?

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah, that would make a great survey question.

Well, we’ll find out if people have strong opinions about it.

And let me tell you, public radio listeners do have strong opinions.

They do.

We will know.

877-929-9673.

Let us know.

Bill, and thank you for your call, bud.

Thanks, sir.

Have a good day.

Thanks, Bill.

Bye-bye.

Yes, ma’am.

Bye-bye.