Originally Posted by
unworthy1
And just to hammer an old point: a fork is singular unless referring to more than one fork, the 2 "legs" on a typical fork are the blades or the tubes (if on a telescoping-type suspension fork) and those terms are plural when 2 are being discussed. A fork is not like a "pair of pants", though it may resemble one to some.
This an unassailable claim only is one is firmly convinced that typical American usage is 'more correct' than, say, UK usage.
This is a rather common conviction in fora where most users are US-based, but one can (hopefully) forgive the English (or some Canadians) for finding the claim less than fully convincing.
Note sense (3) in
the Oxford Dictionary listing for 'fork', UK English, in the online version of that most authoritative source:
"(usually
forks) Each of a pair of supports in which a
bicycle or
motorcycle wheel
revolves."
The entry for the same word, US English, implies the usage you suggest: "a unit consisting of a pair of supports [...]"
Apologies for the drift from the main thrust of this thread.