plural vs pair of tongs

plural and pair of tongs both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
plural	Yes	Yes	No	No
pair of tongs	Yes	No	No	No

plural (noun)	pair of tongs (noun)
the form of a word that is used to denote more than one	any of various devices for taking hold of objects; usually have two hinged legs with handles above and pointed hooks below

plural (adjective)	pair of tongs (adjective)
grammatical number category referring to two or more items or units
composed of more than one member, set, or kind