I have an honest question that has bugged me for years.
The term: pickpocketing.

Why is the "ing" on the noun and not on the verb? It seems fine to says you pick pockets...maybe even to say picking pockets. One does not say I am play drumming, one would say they are playing drums. So how did picking pockets become pick POCKETING?

Is it just one of those things that someone coined and even though it is grammatically incorrect, it has just stood the test of time and english teachers?


Thanks for any info.
Kevin

I'm no expert, but that would be my guess. ^

Kevin

The rules of grammer and spelling are not set by some arbitary council.

Instead, they are used to record existing patterns with language.

The term that is most common is the oorrect one and grammer should catch up with us!

This an interesting point. I am a freelance writer as well, and often notice little things like that, but in my love of magic and english, I neven noticed it.
Finger flinging
card shuffling
pick pocketing...hmm.

Pete

Though doubtful, perhaps the term Pickpocketing suggests that the "thief" is "picking out" then "pocketing" the stolen items into his/her own pockets.

Just another way of looking at it.

Hmmm.. all this talk of Picking Pockets and Pocketing... Prods me to Ponder the following...

If Peter Pitt Picked and Pinched a Peck of Pockets, then Pocketted the all items that he Picked,how many Pockets did Peter Pitt Pick and how many items did Peter Pitt Pocket?

But I digress...