Pulled from another thread

[Harry Bloomfield]

Is it a local thing Harry?

I have no idea, I never heard it used by anyone else.

What about the word "Couple" it means two but how often is it spoken to mean "About Two" therefore perhaps 2 or 3 or 4 even?

If you say a couple of minutes, or two minutes, that is usually quite variable.

 

[ebee]

I have no idea, I never heard it used by anyone else.

If you say a couple of minutes, or two minutes, that is usually quite variable.

Yes but lets say some says "Can I have a couple of sweets off you please?" and you have a bag say of at least 100 and you give them a couple they might well say "you have only given me two!" they were clearly hoping for 3 or 4 at least and possibly up to 10 say

 

[JohnW2]

If you say a couple of minutes, or two minutes, that is usually quite variable.

Yes, it can be.

Have you perhaps noticed that (for that reason) I usually modify phrases like "a minute or two" or "a day or two" to become "a minute or three" or "a day or three" ?

 

[SUNRAY]

As far as I'm concerned couple is still two.

The happy couple at a wedding is two whether there's a couple of children or daschunds in the mix or not. The terms thrupple and sinple now exist when the relationship is three people or those who chose to share their life with none other. (I don't know if that couple of words have reached any dictionaries yet)

When one couples a train it is two carraiges which are connected regardless of how many carraiges exist each side of the two.

I'll happily ask for a couple of something: pints of beer, fish and chips, seats on an aircraft etc and not expect the quantity to be questioned, likewise someone asking me for a couple of cups of tea will be two and a couple of sugars in them is equally two.

 

[JohnW2]

As far as I'm concerned couple is still two.

I don't doubt that such is the intended' use of the word. However, it's certainly also used more loosely.

That is particularly true when the word is used in relation to something quantitative, rather than something that can be 'counted' - if people talk a about "a couple of miles", "a couple of kilograms", a "couple of hours" etc., they will rarely be intending to say that the numerical value of the quantity in question is exactly 2.0 of the units concerned. In other words, "a couple of Xs" is used to mean "about/approximately two Xs". If they wanted to indicate precisely 2.0 in such situations, they would normally say "two", rather than "a couple"

 

[SUNRAY]

I don't doubt that such is the intended' use of the word. However, it's certainly also used more loosely.

That is particularly true when the word is used in relation to something quantitative, rather than something that can be 'counted' - if people talk a about "a couple of miles", "a couple of kilograms", a "couple of hours" etc., they will rarely be intending to say that the numerical value of the quantity in question is exactly 2.0 of the units concerned.

Whether that is correct or not:
I would go 2 miles
I would aquire/supply 2 Kg
I would be there in 2 hours

Unless of course

... other words... "about/approximately two Xs".

is used to mean something different.

If they wanted to indicate precisely 2.0 in such situations, they would normally say "two", rather than "a couple"

 

[JohnW2]

I would go 2 miles
I would aquire/supply 2 Kg

...which are fine, since they are 'explicit', which would not necessarily be clear if you had said "a couple".

I would be there in 2 hours

That one's a bit ambiguous - or, at least, 'unclear'. "I would arrive there in 2 hours" would be OK, the same as the above. However, "I would be there in 2 hours" would not preclude the possibility that you might arrive much earlier than that!

 

[SUNRAY]

...which are fine, since they are 'explicit', which would not necessarily be clear if you had said "a couple".

That one's a bit ambiguous - or, at least, 'unclear'. "I would arrive there in 2 hours" would be OK, the same as the above. However, "I would be there in 2 hours" would not preclude the possibility that you might arrive much earlier than that!

well I was replying to your far from explicit words.

 

[JohnW2]

well I was replying to your far from explicit words.

I'm not sure of your point, unless you are simply agreeing with me that if someone wanted to refer to exactly 2.0 miles/kilograms/hours, one would usually say/write "2", and not "a couple".

 

[SUNRAY]

I'm not sure of your point, unless you are simply agreeing with me that if someone wanted to refer to exactly 2.0 miles/kilograms/hours, one would usually say/write "2", and not "a couple".

Far from it, in my book a couple means 2 unless other words make it an aproximation in just the same way 'a dozen' means 12 but 'about a dozen means about 12.

a "couple of hours"

is not explicit but 'I'll be with you in a couple of hours' or 'be in the pub in a couple of hours' is. in just the same way as 'buy a couple of bottles of milk' is not 1 bottle, not 3 bottles, not 2.1375 bottles etc, or move up a couple of Kc's.