APPENDIX II
SPANISH COMMON NOUNS, IN ORDINARY USE, WHICH ARE USED ONLY IN THE PLURAL
Afueras (environs)
Aguaderas (frames to carry water)
Albricias (reward for good news—also used as interjection: joy! joy!!)
Andas (stretcher, also frame for carrying an image)
Calendas (calends)
Calzoncillos (drawers)
Carnestolendas (carnival)
Celos (jealously—"Celo"—zeal)
Hacer cosquillas (to tickle)
Despabilladoras (snuffers)
Enaguas (skirt)
Fauces (gullet)
Modales (manners)
Mientes—also Mente (the mind)
Parrillas (gridiron)
Puches (sort of fritters)
Tenazas (tongs, pincers)
Tijeras (scissors)
Tinieblas (utter darkness)
Víveres (victuals)
Zaragüelles (kind of breeches)
Note the following—
Á ciegas (blindly)
Á ojos cegarritas (blindly)
Á horcajadas (astride)
Á hurtadillas (on the sly)
Á sabiendas (knowingly)
De puntillas (on tiptoe)
Á tientas (groping)
De bóbilis bóbilis (without toil)
De bruces (on all fours)
En ayunas (fasting)
En volandas (in the air, off one's feet)
The following plurals, besides the ordinary, have also a different meaning from the singular—
El alfiler (pin) Los alfileres (pins, pin-money)
El día (day) Los días (days, birthday)
La esposa (wife) Las esposas (wives, handcuffs)
El grillo (the cricket) Los grilles (crickets, shackles)
La letra (letter) Las letras (letters—literary knowledge)
El padre (father) Los padres[212] (fathers, parents)
[Footnote 212: In the same manner all masculine plurals include also the plurals of both genders, as: Hermanos (brothers, also brothers and sisters).]
We make the following remarks on the plural of compound words.
The elements which concur to the formation of compound nouns are—
A B
Verbs Adjectives
Prepositions Nouns
Adverbs Participles
Conjunctions Pronouns
Prefixes
GENERAL RULE—
The elements in A are invariable except:
Un bullebulle (busybody), Unos bullebulles
Un quehacer (occupation), Unos quehaceres
Pasapasa (sleight of hand), Pasapasas (sleight of hand tricks)
The elements in B take the mark of the plural:
Alzacuello (minister's collar) Alzacuellos
Alzapaño (curtain hook), Alzapañios
Andaniño (child's cart), Andaniñios
Antepasado (ancestor), Antepasados
Ave María (a prayer), Ave Marías
Cualquiera (whatever), Cualesquiera
Entremetido (intruder, busybody), Entremetidos
Gentilhombre (man of gentle birth), Gentileshombres
Guardafuego (fire-guard), Guardafuegos
Hijodalgo (squire), Hijosdalgo
Pasamano (handrail, lace-edgings), Pasamanos
Pasatiempo (pastime), Pasatiempos
Picaparte (latch or latchkey), Picapartes
Pisaverde (beau), Pisaverdes
Portaestandarte (standard bearer), Portaestandartes
Portafusil (musket-sling), Portafusiles
Puercoespín (porcupine), Puercosespines
Quienquiera (whoever), Quienesquiera
Quitasol (parasol), Quitasoles
Ricahembra (woman of gentle birth), Ricashembras
Sobrecama (counterpane), Sobrecamas
Sobredicho (aforesaid), Sobredichos
Tapaboca (slap on the mouth), Tapabocas
Tirabotón (button-hook), Tirabotones
N.B.—When the second of the two words commences with r this letter should be doubled—
Ropa (clothes), guardarropa (wardrobe), guardarropas (pl.)
In compound nouns (very rare) formed of two nouns of which the first stands as an adjective to the second, the first noun remains invariable, the second only taking the mark of the plural—
Ferrocarril (railway), Ferrocarriles
Madreselva (honeysuckle), Madreselvas
In the following compound nouns formed of an adjective and a noun, the adjective remains invariable in the plural, as—
Bajamar (low tide), Bajamares
Bajorelieve (bas-relief), Bajorelieves
Belladona (belladonna), Belladonas
Blancomanjar (blanc-mange), Blancomanjares
Plenamar (full tide), Plenamares
Salvoconducto (safe conduct), Salvoconductos
Salvaguardia (safeguard), Salvaguardias
Santa Bárbara (powder magazine), Santa Bárbaras
In compound nouns formed of two words, the first of which has suffered the loss or change of a letter, this first component remains invariable—
(N.B.—Many such words are found in Spanish.)
Artimaña (trick), Artimañas
Barbicano (white-bearded man), Barbicanos
Barbilindo (beardless man), Barbilindos
Boquirrubio (rosy-lipped), Boquirrubios
Cojitranco (lame fellow—disparagingly), Cojitrancos
Cuellierguido (stiff-necked man), Cuellierguidos
Gallipavo (turkey), Gallipavos
Manirroto (spendthrift), Manirrotos
Marisabidilla (blue stocking), Marisabidillas
Ojinegro (black-eyed), Ojinegros
Ojizarco (blue-eyed), Ojizarcos
Patizambo (bandy-legged), Patizambos
Pechicolorado (robin redbreast), Pechicolorados
Pleamar (high tide), Pleamares
Tragicomedia (tragi-comedy), Tragicomedias
Viandante (wayfarer), Viandantes
The following make their plural as follows—
Bancarrota (bankruptcy), Bancarrotas
Coliflor (cauliflower), Coliflores
Dares y tomares (wrangling), used only in pl.
Dimes y diretes (ifs, ands and buts), used only in pl.
Don Diego de noche (four o'clocks—flower), Don Diegos de noche
Maritornes (ill-shaped woman), Maritornes
Parabién (compliment), Parabienes
Vaivén (vibration), Vaivenes
The following are examples of the large class of nouns (compound) formed with a verb or adverb and a plural noun and which are used for both numbers—
Azotacalles (idler)
Buscavidas (pryer)
Cortaplumas (penknife)
Chupaflores (humming-bird)
Destripaterrones (navvy)
Lavamanos (wash-hand stand)
Limpiabotas (boot-black)
Matamoros (boaster)
Mondadientes (toothpick)
Papahueros (ninny)
Papamoscas (ninny)
Papanatas (ninny)
Paracaídas (parachute)
Paraguas (umbrella)
Pelagatos (ragamuffin)
Pintamonas (slap-dasher or bad partner)
Sacacorchos (corkscrew)
Salvavidas (life-boats)
Sepancuantos (slap or blow)
The following also are used for both numbers without alteration—
Correveidile (tale-bearer)
Hazmereir (laughing-stock)
Metomentodo (busybody)
Paternoster (Lord's Prayer)
Quitaipón (ornament for headstall of draught beasts)
Sábelotodo (presumptious man)
Sinvergüenza (barefaced man)