Complaint with Fingers and Surreal

[korgul]

My son asked me today when his mom would be home from work. I had to tell him any minute now, because I started thinging about their thread on a few vs couple.

Damn you I now have to rethink how I say things.

korgul

[no1_vern]

Making a person think is a good thing , right??

Isnt it??

[Martoch]

Originally posted by no1_vern
Making a person think is a good thing , right??

Isnt it??

No way, it kills brain cells...I'd rather do that sniffing gasoline fumes!

[OuTpaTienT]

Uh oh. I missed this whole few vs. couple thread. Where is it?

But isn't it common knowledge?

couple = two
few = three (sometimes more)

Originally posted by OuTpaTienT


couple = two
few = three (sometimes more)

YES!!!!!!



Oh look surreal is doing the vindication dance!!

[necromancer]

Really? I'm not so sure about that. If used informally couple means more than two.

http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=couple


Two items of the same kind; a pair.
Something that joins or connects two things together; a link.
(used with a sing. or pl. verb)
Two people united, as by betrothal or marriage.
Two people together.
Informal. A few; several: a couple of days.
Physics. A pair of forces of equal magnitude acting in parallel but opposite directions, capable of causing rotation but not translation.



And few is very vauge

http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=few

Amounting to or consisting of a small number: one of my few bad habits.
Being more than one but indefinitely small in number: bowled a few strings.

n. (used with a pl. verb)
An indefinitely small number of persons or things: A few of the books have torn jackets.
An exclusive or limited number: the discerning few; the fortunate few.

NO NO NO! ... a "couple" shouldn't be interpreted literally when used to represent a number....

*edit* Oh.. here's the thread http://www.techimo.com/forum/t38340.html

[OuTpaTienT]

So you're saying words shouldn't mean things?

I think you guys are missing the REAL question at hand. And that is what exactly is a "handful"?

I say it's 5 (possibly more, like few)

My theory...

couple=2
few=3
some=4 or more

......

a sh*tload=all of the above

[Knothead]

And that is what exactly is a "handful"? ---- OuTpaTienT

Handful = 1 Surreal esp. when she believes herself to be correct