It has often been suggested that English should have male and female nouns. Here are a few candidates for consideration as useful male and female nouns:
- Swiss Army Knife
male, because even though it appears useful for a wide variety of work, it spends most of its time just opening bottles.- Kidneys
female, because they always go to the bathroom in pairs.- Penlight
male, because it can be turned on very easily, but isn't very bright.- Tire
male, because it goes bald and often is over-inflated.- Hot Air Balloon
male, because to get it to go anywhere you have to light a fire under it... and, of course, there's the hot air part.- Sponges
female, because they are soft and squeezable and retain water.- Web Page
female, because it is always getting hit on.- Shoe
male, because it is usually unpolished, with its tongue hanging out.- Copier
female, because once turned off, it takes a while to warm up. Also, because it is an effective reproductive device when the right buttons are pushed. Also, because it can wreak havoc when the wrong buttons are pushed.- Ziploc Bags
male, because they hold everything in, but you can always see right through them.- Subway
male, because it uses the same old lines to pick people up.- Hourglass
female, because over time, the weight shifts to the bottom.- Hammer
male, because it hasn't evolved much over the last 5,000 years, but it's handy to have around and it's good for killing bugs.