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Which sounds right?
The biceps has two heads.
Or
The biceps have two heads.

I assume those who thrown up their hands at “bicep” are similarly exercised by “cherry” and “pea” … if not, why not?

It’s only a question of time. As Simon Horobin observed:
“The word cherry originates in the northern French dialect word cherise (a variant of the standard modern French cerise), which was adopted into English after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Because it ended in an “s”, English speakers mistakenly understood it to be a plural form and so the false singular cherry was born. The same process lies behind the word pea, erroneously derived from the singular form pease (ultimately from Greek pison) – preserved in the nursery rhyme “pease pudding hot, pease pudding cold”.

Although these changes took place hundreds of years ago, the process can be observed today in the emergence of bicep: a singular form of biceps…”

It's interesting, though not surprising, that those who wish to freeze the English language in its tracks wish it to be frozen at the moment-in time when they feel that have mastered it, and put themselves forward as the arbiters of correct usage.

Surely someone circa 1400 AD uttered a similar thought. Why do we not hono(u)r his or her wishes, and all speak like characters from the Canterbury Tales? That semeth oonly feir.

I knew there would be a kerfuffle over this one. It did take me quite a bit of pondering too, but after my first three entries, it was the only thing remaining that could work. As Mr. Holmes was fond of saying, when you have eliminated the impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be true.

Still not wild about "bicep" but if I choose to play the game, I must play by the NY Times' rules.

You’re quite right, buddy. I can’t abide the American eagerness to turn every noun into a verb (transitioning, podiuming, medalling, efforting etc) but I’m all too conscious I’m Canute against the tide of history (yes, yes, I know he was really a Cnut). So I think I’ve made peace with the argument. I think Americans are more relaxed about it. Others would say they are the main culprits, but you won’t hear it from me 😇