Now, how did such a simple word that described a piece of fruit become so tangled?

The English language, of course.

It throws up many a variation of the same-sounding word, just to confuse us.

Just think, there is also pair, and pare.

But a pear, that’s a piece of fruit.

And if you’re not careful, things can go pear-shaped very quickly.

Then there’s a pair, which means there are two of the same thing, such as a pair of socks

Except in my house, it’s more than likely that pair of socks is an odd pair.

Then there’s pare, which is to take the outer layer off, such as an orange.

It can also mean to cut down, as in staff, after restructuring an organisation.