A jacket is a thing and a size is a measurement and a jacket can not be a measurement.
Why do we say "This jacket is the wrong size" which sounds like "This jacket is a measurement"?
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1The "size" here means "the size of garment". It's not just any measurement.– Billy KerrCommented May 29, 2023 at 15:57
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It's entirely arbitrary. We can say, "This jacket has a size", but not, "This jacket is a size."– gotube ♦Commented May 29, 2023 at 16:00
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@gotube - I can imagine discomfort if I bought a hat a size smaller than the right one, and ridicule if it was a size bigger.– Michael HarveyCommented May 29, 2023 at 18:47
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@MichaelHarvey Is this related to the question?– gotube ♦Commented May 29, 2023 at 20:30
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@gotube - it hopes to address your comment about saying that an item of clothing 'is a size'. My hat is a size bigger than it should be. My hat size is seven. This hat is a seven and one-eighth.– Michael HarveyCommented May 30, 2023 at 5:27
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1 Answer
That is how the word "size", and similar words like "age" or "price", works
So you can say that it's the wrong, or right size. Or you can ask "What size is it?"
And you can say "What age is it?" or "It's the right price" and so on. I don't know if this class of words has a name, but you should be able to think of some more that can be used the same way.
