Check your tone, please. I can't downvote, but I don't want to see comments like yours on HN.
You can check my comment history and see that I don't insult people often. However, sometimes when people are being really stupid the correct response is to call them stupid.
Think about what numerous people are arguing here. OP said, "under no circumstances do I work more than 40 hours a week" and a number of people insist that these words mean "sometimes I will work OT", and that it's perfectly clear. That's stupid.
Ok, my phrasing was incorrect. I meant to say "how is it precise enough." You get the last word (if you choose to reply to this).
Gotcha, and I agree with you on that. Like I said in my comment, this is exactly what I say in interviews, and I haven't had a problem with it yet. If I do then I'll find a new job. After a little practice you can get a feel for reading people and companies and you can usually tell if you are on the same page. I also always ask how many hours on average people work per week, or something along those lines.
Also, I absolutely would not tell a company that I want to work for that "under no circumstances" will I work any overtime. Nor will I hire someone that says such a thing.
The OP said "under no circumstances will I work overtime". Someone says that he really meant "i will sometimes do overtime".
I said, "he could have said I will rarely do overtime, only for exceptional cases".
And you claim that this isn't more precise? Did you pass reading comprehension in grade school?