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06-08-2018 , 05:02 PM

#1301

lonely_but_rich

ɔarpal \ʇunnel

Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 23,431

Two

06-08-2018 , 05:03 PM

#1302

Didace

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 20,441

How long ago is a couple of days?

06-08-2018 , 05:04 PM

#1303

cs3

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 13,648

2, but

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fabian

"A couple of ornithologists noticed the blackbird behaving strangely this last month", or whatever.

Wtf kind of example is that?

06-08-2018 , 05:07 PM

#1304

Fabian

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 8,918

Quote:

Originally Posted by Didace

How long ago is a couple of days?

You tell me, is it exactly two days ago?

06-08-2018 , 05:10 PM

#1305

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 93,732

If attributing a specific number to it then it's definitely always two. Granted that sometimes people will liberally use "a couple of days ago" as an estimate without confirming to themselves whether it was exactly two.

06-08-2018 , 05:14 PM

#1306

27offsuit

actions have consequences!

Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 38,740

Quote:

Originally Posted by cs3

2, but

Wtf kind of example is that?

The most Fabian example ever?

06-08-2018 , 05:36 PM

#1307

Bluegrassplayer

banned

Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 40,645

Technically it means 2, but it's evolved to also mean "a few"

06-08-2018 , 06:35 PM

#1308

Fabian

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 8,918

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

If attributing a specific number to it then it's definitely always two. Granted that sometimes people will liberally use "a couple of days ago" as an estimate without confirming to themselves whether it was exactly two.

The point of one of us (I won't say who) is making, is that attributing a "specific number" to it is stupid/pointless/wrong in various contexts.

Last edited by Fabian; 06-08-2018 at 06:51 PM.

06-08-2018 , 06:39 PM

#1309

cs3

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 13,648

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fabian

The point is that attributing a "specific number" to it is stupid/pointless/wrong in various contexts.

you're absolutely correct.
a "couple" should refer to a vague number somewhere between one and three.

06-08-2018 , 06:53 PM

#1310

gregorio

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 37,479

If my girlfriend tells me she'll be ready to go in a couple of minutes, a couple means 45. If she just needs to pick up a couple of things, a couple is 8-12.

06-08-2018 , 07:09 PM

#1311

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 93,732

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fabian

The point of one of us (I won't say who) is making, is that attributing a "specific number" to it is stupid/pointless/wrong in various contexts.

It's one thing to say that people do that with "a couple"; that much is correct. To say that it's stupid to do otherwise is wrong though. It's not like there aren't other language options (e.g. "handful") that offer people the ability to just refer to an approximation.

06-08-2018 , 07:21 PM

#1312

Fabian

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 8,918

LKJ,

Just to make sure I'm not misunderstanding, are you saying "a couple of" means a very specific amount (exactly 2) always, and that if you want to approximate some other (2-5ish) amount, "a few" or "a handful of" is correct but "a couple of" is not?

06-08-2018 , 07:25 PM

#1313

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 93,732

I'm saying that's the proper way for a person to express themselves, yes.

Saying "it means that" doesn't mean that a person should automatically interpret it that way when someone else says it though, because people are rather fond of expressing themselves lazily.

06-08-2018 , 07:27 PM

#1314

Johnny Truant

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 8,059

I always use a couple for two only, but I have heard it used for other small numbers. I can't recall if it was idiots who used it that way, but odds are it was.

06-08-2018 , 07:39 PM

#1315

Steve350

old hand

Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 1,874

It looks like we have a couple different answers here. Odd, isn't it?

06-08-2018 , 07:41 PM

#1316

cs3

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 13,648

Can we all agree that a few universally means more than a couple?

06-08-2018 , 07:44 PM

#1317

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 93,732

Again, certainly should be that way, but I'm sure that some just use the two terms interchangeably.

06-08-2018 , 08:02 PM

#1318

Didace

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 20,441

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

I'm saying that's the proper way for a person to express themselves, yes.

Seems a bit extreme.

06-08-2018 , 08:24 PM

#1319

anonla

Cause and effect

Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 5,456

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

Again, certainly should be that way, but I'm sure that some just use the two terms interchangeably.

me *looking guilty*

06-08-2018 , 10:19 PM

#1320

ty71087

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 9,308

how long is “a minute”

06-08-2018 , 10:43 PM

#1321

spidercrab

veteran

Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 3,187

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregorio

If my girlfriend tells me she'll be ready to go in a couple of minutes, a couple means 45. If she just needs to pick up a couple of things, a couple is 8-12.

It's odd, but I sometimes form really clear impressions of posters whom I've never met in person. For some reason, I would have bet infinity dollars that greg oreo was married (without a girlfriend on the side).

06-09-2018 , 01:47 AM

#1322

offTopic

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 18,923

Wow, just happened to click on LATB before going to bed and a ****show of a hand happened where a guy who had racked up claimed he joke-shoved $10K on river when his opponent had made a FH. Snap-shove, obv, and the rack-shover claims he was kidding LOL? Good thing the whole thing is on video (he ultimately left the chips behind and then left, and everything is pretty clear on the video but that would be crunchy live, even for a small fraction of the stakes.

06-09-2018 , 07:34 AM

#1323

DoctorZangief

banned

Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 2,558

Quote:

Originally Posted by spidercrab

It's been legal here since 2005.

06-09-2018 , 08:32 AM

#1324

de captain

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 5,514

Quote:

Originally Posted by ty71087

how long is “a minute”

It depends. Are you in New York?

06-09-2018 , 08:48 AM

#1325

anonla

Cause and effect

Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 5,456

Buckwheat is very popular in Russia for breakfast and a lot of other things. Why it is basically not known in USA? The theory in one russian forum, is that it is because of the price. That somehow it is too expensive in USA too really have it as a staple. I don't really believe it, but if I look-up the price at Amazon, I can only SMH. At least at Amazon it is **** expensive (4$ a pound) compared to here (russian grocery store in Germany) (3 € a kg).

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