Re:'Couple,' 'Few,' and 'Several': The (Mostly) Definitive G...
by saltcured on Sunday October 01, 2023 @04:39PM
(#37730475)
That's close to my take from the SF Bay Area too. A few days over a weekend would strongly tend towards adding either Friday or Monday but not both.
I do consider that "a couple" is imprecise and varies by context. Asking for a couple cloves of garlic while cooking could mean 2-4, especially if they are small. Asking for a couple bulbs of garlic on a shopping list could only mean 2!
For items, I think I'm also more like to shift into "half a dozen" or "dozen" than expect common ground on what "several" communicates. For days, I think I'd shift to "a week" or "N weeks" as soon as it spans a Monday-Friday work week, even if the start/end weeks are partial.
I do consider that "a couple" is imprecise and varies by context. Asking for a couple cloves of garlic while cooking could mean 2-4, especially if they are small. Asking for a couple bulbs of garlic on a shopping list could only mean 2!
For items, I think I'm also more like to shift into "half a dozen" or "dozen" than expect common ground on what "several" communicates. For days, I think I'd shift to "a week" or "N weeks" as soon as it spans a Monday-Friday work week, even if the start/end weeks are partial.