Pliers are a small tool made of two crossed pieces of metal, joined in the middle. Handles sit on one side; jaws sit on the other. You squeeze the handles to hold a small thing, to bend wire, or, with some kinds, to cut wire. People who fix bikes, hang pictures, or work with electrical wire keep a pair nearby. The word is almost always plural: we say pliers, or a pair of pliers, even when we mean one tool. Though actually, “a plier” sounds wrong to many ears, the way “a scissor” does — English treats this tool as a pair, like scissors or tweezers.

鉗子