I think it all has to do with the verbs. You have bashing, cutting and wrapping. The bashing thing bashes the cutting thing, the cutting thing cuts the wrapping thing. The wrapping thing has always baffled me as well. You can wrap a bashing thing, but still be able to bash. It becomes a blunt object with a silencer.

I argued vehemently against the rock/paper thing when I first learned the game. People were equally vehement in their defense of tradition. Comments like "It's just a stupid game! Would you shut up now?" were common. They just didn't seem to care.

In the years since first noticing the problem, my attempts to come up with a third object that will overcome one of the other two, and yet BE overcome by the other, have been unsuccesful and very frustrating.

Re: 'panties' - and why do men not wear a brief or a boxer short?