twos

Formstwoss, twosing, twosed

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of two.

   The hikers set off in twos along the narrow trail.

   She lined the glasses up in twos on the shelf.

   Note

   A numeral used as a count noun takes the ordinary -s plural, whatever kind of two it names: written digits (no twos among the winning lottery numbers), playing cards, two-dollar bills, children aged two. The most common use is grouping. People arrive in twos, or in twos and threes, meaning a couple at a time, and the phrase needs no article.

2. 2
   noun

   The stage of early childhood when a child is two years old.

   Tantrums are common throughout the twos, then fade as language develops.

   Parenting books devote whole chapters to surviving the twos.

3. 3
   nounplural

   A club's reserve team, made up of players who are not in the first team.

   Like understudies in a play, ready to step in for the main cast.

   After his injury, the striker turned out for the twos to regain fitness.

   Several youngsters were promoted from the twos to the first team this season.

   Similarreserves, seconds

   Note

   Team sports use this plural as a name for the second string, the squad below the first team. It is plural in form but names a single side, and it almost always takes the: a player turns out for the twos, drops into the twos, or is promoted from the twos. Reserves is the neutral equivalent.

4. 4
   nounslangplural

   A pair of cards, each ranked two, held together in a poker hand.

   He raised the bet despite holding nothing better than twos.

   Twos rarely win a showdown, but he got lucky against a weak table.

   Similardeuces

   Note

   Poker players count this the lowest pair a hand can hold, beaten by any other pair. At the table it shares the job with deuces and ducks, all equally slangy. Like other names for a pair, it is plural-only: you hold twos, never a two, which on its own means a single card of that rank.

5. 5
   nounslangUKplural

   The cells located on the first floor of a prison.

   Most of the older prisoners had cells up on the twos.

   A fight broke out on the twos just after lockup.

   Note

   British prison slang, where the first floor is one flight above the ground. The word exists only in the plural and usually comes with the definite article after on or up: a cell on the twos, trouble up on the twos. It belongs to the talk of prisoners and officers, so outside that setting it sounds like insider speech rather than plain description.

6. 6
   verbdialectalMulticultural London Englishtransitive

   To share a cigarette with someone, passing it on after smoking half yourself.

   He likes to twos his last cigarette with a friend on the walk home.

   Would you twos that with me? I'm out of smokes.

   Similarshare, split

   Note

   A smoker's verb from Multicultural London English, named for the halving it describes. It normally takes an object (twos that, twos a cigarette), though Jamie T's "Pacemaker" (2007) uses it with on before a cigarette. Y.CB of 7th's "Lightwork Freestyle" (2020) shows its home register, urging a young man to share the smoke. Outside London street speech, expect listeners not to know it.

Showing meanings only. Show all 6