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I'm currently entrenched in a grammar dispute with one of my coworkers. We are trying to determine which usage of "used to" properly describes the change we made in a naming convention used at work.

For example:

"Knickers are what we used to call pants"

or

"Pants are what we used to call knickers"

Which sentence properly states that knickers was the name previously used and that pants is the name currently in use?

lilCrit
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    The second one. - We use used to when we refer to things in the past which are no longer true. It can refer to repeated actions or to a state or situation:

    He used to play football for the local team, but he’s too old now. (Cambridge)

     – user 66974 Apr 16 '20 at 19:39
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    They both work here because they both are rephrases of: We used to call pants, knickers.” – Jim Apr 16 '20 at 19:41
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    It probably comes down to intonation. – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_ Apr 16 '20 at 20:32
  • I honestly don't understand the gist of this question. "Used to" refers to the term that was initially employed and that was subsequently replaced by another term. This has more to do with reasoning than with English. –  Apr 17 '20 at 14:40
  • "What we now call 'pants' are what we used to call 'knickers'." // " 'Knickers' is the term we used to use to refer to what are now called 'pants'." I'd say that the second reduces to " 'Knickers' is what we used to call 'pants' ", so would think only your second sentence works. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 17 '20 at 14:52

3 Answers3

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If they were called knickers in the past but are now called pants, then your second option is correct.

Let's swap in a synonymous—albeit awkward–phrase for used to to see:

Knickers are what we did in the past call pants.

Pants are what we did in the past call knickers.

I think you can see what's what more clearly now.

Tinfoil Hat
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  • But this sidesteps " 'Knickers' is what we used to call 'pants' " // " 'The Cassiterites' is possibly what the ancients used to call the British Isles." – Edwin Ashworth Apr 17 '20 at 14:58
  • @EdwinAshworth: Mm, I don't think that's correct. *What* is a free relative. In the OP's versions it stands for something like: Knickers are the thing that* we used to call pants.* Pants are the thing that* we used to call knickers.* Only the second one is correct. In your version *what* stands for something like: "Knickers" is the word that* we used to call pants.* "Pants" is the word that* we used to call knickers.* I'm not sure either of those two are even grammatical. – Tinfoil Hat Apr 17 '20 at 21:04
  • There are many examples given in a Google search for "is what we used to call him", a lot of them relevant. Likewise for "is what we used to call them". cf "We used to call them 'doohickeys' ". Though 'Cassiterites' should admittedly be 'Cassiterides'. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 17 '20 at 22:30
  • The whole matter is indeed curious. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/379028/ambiguity-of-i-dont-know-what-you-know – Tinfoil Hat Apr 18 '20 at 04:16
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It depends on if the first word is an adjective or not. If Knickers was an adjective, then the first sentence is correct. If knickers were a noun, the second sentence is correct. Take a look at this sentence

Knickers are what we used to call pants.

Here, if Knickers, the name, is an adjective, then it is implying that Knickers was the name that was used to refer to pants in the olden days.

Shiv Subbiah
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The first sentence is the one that conveys the message that you want to convey. "Used to" affects the word or phrase that comes before it. So if I were to say, "Knickers are what we used to call pants," "Knickers" would be the word affected by "Used to." And since "Used to" refers to the past, it would imply that "Knickers" was in the past and "pants" are in the present.

While the second sentence could be interpreted like this: "Pants nowadays are what they used to call knickers", it's simply not grammatically correct. It's a convoluted and twisted way to convey the message, and it gets in the way of the actual meaning of the sentence, which is that pants were the first term of the object, and knickers were the present term of the object.

Hope that helps :)

Shiv Subbiah
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