Arms?... or legs?...

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coius's picture
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Arms?... or legs?...

Whilst sitting and eating my turkey and Cheese sandwhich, I started contemplating something that has been plaguing me for the last 3 months. Arms...
Why is it that people and monkeys have arms and hands, when dogs and cats (or any other animal) has legs. Sure, humans and monkey's have legs, but only 2 of them. But All other animals have legs... Why is it that any other living creature has legs (Be it 4, or 100 (Centipedes) on all their apendages?
and another thing, why are handles on things called "Arms"? I mean, if arms are related to hands (the only living thing that has hands, are arms) then, if these have no hands, why are they (furniture or whatnot) referred to on, as "arms"? Why is an armchair called an "armchair"? why is it not a "legchair" as is that it is supposed to take weight off of their legs?

this is just picking my brain and could use some "in-sight" as to this anomoly.

I would LOVE to hear your opinions on this so-called "Brain-Teaser"

Maybe it would take some weight off of my mind to leave the arguing up to you...

madmax_2069's picture
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Its called a arm rest when yo

Its called a arm rest when you talk about furniture like a sofa or chair why cause you rest your arms on it

It's in 1636 that the word armchair was used for the first time to name the "chaise à bras".if you look in a dictionary it will say a chair with armrests

Reverend Darkness's picture
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Armrests?

hmm... I must be doin something wrong, then...

...my legs always end up over one of them...

grannysmith's picture
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Legging it

The 'archetypal' mammal is quadruped. Only the hindlegs give motor power, but some quadrupeds can stand, or move, on hindlegs alone. The forelegs are for balance and 'steering' in quadrupedal movement. Those quadrupeds that have adapted to be solely bipedal, and never use the forelegs for locomotion, cannot then be considered to have 'forelegs' any more, but 'arms'. The forefeet have often adapted also, as 'hands'. Why the spellings of the English words leg, arm, foot and hand evolved is a philological question, not an anatomical one, but they signify distinct and differing functions.

It is altogether characteristic of everyday language to use terms figuratively and loosely, out-of-context and elliptically when new terms are coined for new phenomena, hence the likes of leg-opener, armlock, footloose or handoff.

de

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