What exact number(s) do you think of when someone says "a couple"?
February 12, 2009 5:19 PM Subscribe
What exact number(s) do you think of when someone says "a couple"?
I have learned that "a couple of hours" means differently from person to person. Seems to me everybody I know has highly individual expectation of what it means.
I realize "couple" linguistically means "two".
But all my life, when I said "I'll be there in a couple of hours" I never MEANT exactly 2.0 hours. I meant something around two. Maybe less, but probably more. Sometimes way more. But different people has different opinions on this.
So I wondered, what is the hive definition of "a couple"?
I have learned that "a couple of hours" means differently from person to person. Seems to me everybody I know has highly individual expectation of what it means.
I realize "couple" linguistically means "two".
But all my life, when I said "I'll be there in a couple of hours" I never MEANT exactly 2.0 hours. I meant something around two. Maybe less, but probably more. Sometimes way more. But different people has different opinions on this.
So I wondered, what is the hive definition of "a couple"?
This post was deleted for the following reason: this is the very definition of chatfilter: the idle curiosities and polling of the audience. Also? It's two. It's always two. -- mathowie
2
posted by jeff-o-matic at 5:20 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by jeff-o-matic at 5:20 PM on February 12, 2009
2
posted by MaryDellamorte at 5:21 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by MaryDellamorte at 5:21 PM on February 12, 2009
2
posted by greekphilosophy at 5:21 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by greekphilosophy at 5:21 PM on February 12, 2009
Specifically in regard to time, I always say "a couple of hours" when I mean 2 hours or less. More than 2 hours is "a few hours".
posted by meerkatty at 5:22 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by meerkatty at 5:22 PM on February 12, 2009
"a couple of hours" could be from 90 to 150 minutes, true, because it's an approximation. "A couple of pounds" could be 22 to 26 oz in the same way. But "a couple" is 2. No more, no less.
posted by GuyZero at 5:23 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by GuyZero at 5:23 PM on February 12, 2009
A couple of days is 2 or 3 days. A couple of drinks is 2-4 drinks. A couple of cookies might be the whole bag.
posted by magicbus at 5:25 PM on February 12, 2009 [7 favorites]
posted by magicbus at 5:25 PM on February 12, 2009 [7 favorites]
2.
Interestingly (to me, at least), I don't think I ever say "a couple of minutes/hours", even though I've never thought about it, and I would never expect you to actually mean 2 minutes. Maybe 2 hours, because that's less granular. I think I actually tend to stick with "a few minutes/hours"...though I've heard "few" and "several" have specific numerical values. Values probably determined by the same people who said no to white after Labor Day.
posted by niles at 5:26 PM on February 12, 2009
Interestingly (to me, at least), I don't think I ever say "a couple of minutes/hours", even though I've never thought about it, and I would never expect you to actually mean 2 minutes. Maybe 2 hours, because that's less granular. I think I actually tend to stick with "a few minutes/hours"...though I've heard "few" and "several" have specific numerical values. Values probably determined by the same people who said no to white after Labor Day.
posted by niles at 5:26 PM on February 12, 2009
two to four when I say it. But most people I know understand it to mean two.
When I say, "I'll do it in a couple of minutes." is when it comes up mostly.
But then I know plenty of people who say, "in a minute." and don't mean 60 seconds. They mean a relatively short amount of time.
posted by gryftir at 5:26 PM on February 12, 2009
When I say, "I'll do it in a couple of minutes." is when it comes up mostly.
But then I know plenty of people who say, "in a minute." and don't mean 60 seconds. They mean a relatively short amount of time.
posted by gryftir at 5:26 PM on February 12, 2009
2-3. 4 at most, depending on what the thing is that's being talked about. example: "give me a couple of m&m's" means more than just 2 to me.
So sure it means 2, but sometimes I think of more than 2.
posted by KateHasQuestions at 5:26 PM on February 12, 2009
So sure it means 2, but sometimes I think of more than 2.
posted by KateHasQuestions at 5:26 PM on February 12, 2009
2.
Interestingly, for years (up until a few weeks ago, in fact), I was convinced that a couple is two, a few is three, several is four and many is five or more. I would use these terms exactingly according to these "rules." Apparently, this is patently untrue if you look at the definitions of all of the words but "couple". I have no idea where I got the idea, originally.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:31 PM on February 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
Interestingly, for years (up until a few weeks ago, in fact), I was convinced that a couple is two, a few is three, several is four and many is five or more. I would use these terms exactingly according to these "rules." Apparently, this is patently untrue if you look at the definitions of all of the words but "couple". I have no idea where I got the idea, originally.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:31 PM on February 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
It depends on the context. "A couple of hours" to me means between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, whereas "two hours" would mean less than 2.0 hours. "A couple of days" means 2-3 days. "A couple of minutes" is equivalent to "a few minutes."
posted by grouse at 5:32 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by grouse at 5:32 PM on February 12, 2009
Oh gawd. Not this again.
I'll say this: I've used "a couple X" to mean "whatever small number of X is handy" all my life, and it's never gotten me in trouble.
Nobody's objected to getting an extra spoonful on their plate, or a few extra M&Ms in their hand. Nobody's called me a liar after I waltzed in at the 3-hour mark, or cut me off after Idea Number Two when I said I had a couple of ideas to share. I've never had a boss get angry when I said we'd had a couple of complaints or a couple of no-shows, and the number turned out to be three — and FWIW, I've had some pretty angry bosses.
For all the energy people waste on arguing about it when it comes up, we manage to actually communicate just fine. Makes me think people on both sides are more flexible about the meaning of the word than they let on.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:33 PM on February 12, 2009 [2 favorites]
I'll say this: I've used "a couple X" to mean "whatever small number of X is handy" all my life, and it's never gotten me in trouble.
Nobody's objected to getting an extra spoonful on their plate, or a few extra M&Ms in their hand. Nobody's called me a liar after I waltzed in at the 3-hour mark, or cut me off after Idea Number Two when I said I had a couple of ideas to share. I've never had a boss get angry when I said we'd had a couple of complaints or a couple of no-shows, and the number turned out to be three — and FWIW, I've had some pretty angry bosses.
For all the energy people waste on arguing about it when it comes up, we manage to actually communicate just fine. Makes me think people on both sides are more flexible about the meaning of the word than they let on.
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:33 PM on February 12, 2009 [2 favorites]
No way is it 2, in the colloquial use.
"It'll just be a couple of minutes" never means "It will be 2 minutes."
"Give me a couple of those chips" never means "give me 2 of those chips".
"I need a couple of bucks for the movie" hasn't meant 2 for decades.
Freakin' literalists...
posted by Aquaman at 5:35 PM on February 12, 2009
"It'll just be a couple of minutes" never means "It will be 2 minutes."
"Give me a couple of those chips" never means "give me 2 of those chips".
"I need a couple of bucks for the movie" hasn't meant 2 for decades.
Freakin' literalists...
posted by Aquaman at 5:35 PM on February 12, 2009
If you want to be nitpicky, 2. Colloquially, I'd say 2-@5. My wife and I argue about this regularly.
posted by gnutron at 5:35 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by gnutron at 5:35 PM on February 12, 2009
2. I thought "few" was 3 or more and "several" was 7 or more. I'm not sure about "several" though, I think I only think it because it sounds like 7.
posted by anniecat at 5:37 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by anniecat at 5:37 PM on February 12, 2009
Echoing everyone who said "a couple" means "2" and "a few" means more.
posted by Nattie at 5:39 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by Nattie at 5:39 PM on February 12, 2009
If I said I'd return in a couple hours, and it turned out to be 4-5 hours...
I'd expect you might be pissed.
posted by artdrectr at 5:42 PM on February 12, 2009
I'd expect you might be pissed.
posted by artdrectr at 5:42 PM on February 12, 2009
It's one hour 'coupled' to another hour....you know, like one train car 'coupled' to another train car. For more than two hours use... 'a few hours', 'an hour-or-two-or-three', 'an hour or two give or take', or other euphemism of your choice, but 'a couple of hours' is always two hours and it drives intelligent people 'bat shit insane' when it's first 'sense' isn't honored.
posted by Muirwylde at 5:46 PM on February 12, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Muirwylde at 5:46 PM on February 12, 2009 [3 favorites]
2
posted by voltairemodern at 5:50 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by voltairemodern at 5:50 PM on February 12, 2009
I've always been a couple 3 kind of person (a couple cookies = 3 cookies everyone knows that), but if I were saying a couple of hours I would mean 2-3 hours.
posted by whoaali at 5:52 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by whoaali at 5:52 PM on February 12, 2009
Somewhere between 1 and 3.
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:56 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:56 PM on February 12, 2009
For me it means the same as "a few" or "several". Yes, technically it means "two", but if I ever heard somebody say "there were a couple of people at the meeting" I wouldn't picture two colleagues milling around a big empty room.
I guess it depends more on context than anything else, as magicbus illustrated.
posted by Rhaomi at 5:57 PM on February 12, 2009
I guess it depends more on context than anything else, as magicbus illustrated.
posted by Rhaomi at 5:57 PM on February 12, 2009
If someone says "we're a couple", I think two people. Boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife, etc.
If someone says "a couple of.......", I think more or less three.
Chalk it up to the oddities of the English language. Look up the definition of the word 'couple' and you'll see that it does not explicitly mean a pair. The informal definition is "an indefinite small number."
posted by 2oh1 at 6:01 PM on February 12, 2009
If someone says "a couple of.......", I think more or less three.
Chalk it up to the oddities of the English language. Look up the definition of the word 'couple' and you'll see that it does not explicitly mean a pair. The informal definition is "an indefinite small number."
posted by 2oh1 at 6:01 PM on February 12, 2009
eπi+3
posted by sanko at 6:08 PM on February 12, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by sanko at 6:08 PM on February 12, 2009 [2 favorites]
To me it means you're aiming for about 2 hours but your expected arrival time should remain relatively open. Giving a precise time (eg "three o'clock") seems to me the standard thing to say if you're wanting to arrange a more set-in-stone time with someone. If you avoid stating a precise time like that, I'll assume the relative vagueness indicates some approximation is to be expected.
posted by springbound at 6:09 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by springbound at 6:09 PM on February 12, 2009
The word "couple" means "two," incorrect colloquial uses notwithstanding.
posted by Electrius at 6:16 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by Electrius at 6:16 PM on February 12, 2009
"A couple" means exactly two
The word "couple" means "two,"
Fortunately the poster asked what we think of when we hear 'couple', not what it means.
posted by Adam_S at 6:18 PM on February 12, 2009
The word "couple" means "two,"
Fortunately the poster asked what we think of when we hear 'couple', not what it means.
posted by Adam_S at 6:18 PM on February 12, 2009
Don't know whether it's MeFi self-selection bias or something, or maybe my offline contacts are just unique, but I only know one person who considers it to be explicitly 2. I and most of my friends fall within the "2-5" range. If I said I'd be back in a couple of hours, got back in four, and you were mad at me, I'd probably mentally roll my eyes.
posted by Phire at 6:23 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by Phire at 6:23 PM on February 12, 2009
For me, in the vast majority of situations, I think of 2. But, it changes with context. And my wife disagrees... she, in fact, gets angry when people use "a couple" when they mean precisely two.
The first contextual signifier is the thing in question. For small, cheap things (candies, cookies, jelly bracelets) or for things that are difficult to count (grains of rice, raindrops, paintball hits), the number can vary wildly from 2 to 5. If I asked for a couple M&M's from my wife, I'd get kind of annoyed if she handed me literally two of them.
If the objects are large or expensive (mountains, cars, people) it means 2, but with the understanding that the speaker is unsure as to the exact number or doesn't care enough to be precise. So, if somebody said they had a couple of hotrods in the driveway, I'd assume they meant exactly two--because nobody fails to know how many cars they have. If somebody said, "We're a couple of mountains away from the end of the hike," I would assume it's two, but wouldn't be surprised if it were three. A "couple of people" usually means exactly two, but again, I wouldn't be surprised if the speaker meant anything from two to ten.
The next contextual signifier is whether or not precision matters. If we're talking about how many hours before you deliver my motherfukin' money, and you say "a couple of hours", you better believe I'll be at your house with a bat in at most 2.5 hours. On the other hand, if we're talking about how many times you've smoked crack, "a couple" could mean anywhere from twice to eighty times.
The last signifier is how many we could be talking about. "I just dropped a couple bucks on souping up my new hotrod" obviously doesn't mean $2, but anywhere from $50 to $1000--since you could easily have spent $80k refurbishing it, "a couple" just indicates a lower-than-expected value. But, "I've been shot at a couple times" probably means between 1 and 3, since most people can't get shot at much more often than that and survive.
In your particular example of "in a couple of hours", I tend to go with a precise definition of 2 hours. But, that's because I'm a freak and just cannot cope with imprecision in planning or timing. If you tell me that you'll be there in a couple of hours, I'm going to be there exactly two hours hence... and pissed at you when you roll up an hour after that. Like, if you were gonna take three hours, why not tell me that? If you were going to take between two and three hours, why not tell me that? If you don't know when you're going to get there, why the fuck did you tell me you knew when you were gonna be there? But, that's more my pet peeve about people being imprecise in planning and tardy in arrival than it is my understanding of the usage. I hate waiting.
posted by Netzapper at 6:40 PM on February 12, 2009
The first contextual signifier is the thing in question. For small, cheap things (candies, cookies, jelly bracelets) or for things that are difficult to count (grains of rice, raindrops, paintball hits), the number can vary wildly from 2 to 5. If I asked for a couple M&M's from my wife, I'd get kind of annoyed if she handed me literally two of them.
If the objects are large or expensive (mountains, cars, people) it means 2, but with the understanding that the speaker is unsure as to the exact number or doesn't care enough to be precise. So, if somebody said they had a couple of hotrods in the driveway, I'd assume they meant exactly two--because nobody fails to know how many cars they have. If somebody said, "We're a couple of mountains away from the end of the hike," I would assume it's two, but wouldn't be surprised if it were three. A "couple of people" usually means exactly two, but again, I wouldn't be surprised if the speaker meant anything from two to ten.
The next contextual signifier is whether or not precision matters. If we're talking about how many hours before you deliver my motherfukin' money, and you say "a couple of hours", you better believe I'll be at your house with a bat in at most 2.5 hours. On the other hand, if we're talking about how many times you've smoked crack, "a couple" could mean anywhere from twice to eighty times.
The last signifier is how many we could be talking about. "I just dropped a couple bucks on souping up my new hotrod" obviously doesn't mean $2, but anywhere from $50 to $1000--since you could easily have spent $80k refurbishing it, "a couple" just indicates a lower-than-expected value. But, "I've been shot at a couple times" probably means between 1 and 3, since most people can't get shot at much more often than that and survive.
In your particular example of "in a couple of hours", I tend to go with a precise definition of 2 hours. But, that's because I'm a freak and just cannot cope with imprecision in planning or timing. If you tell me that you'll be there in a couple of hours, I'm going to be there exactly two hours hence... and pissed at you when you roll up an hour after that. Like, if you were gonna take three hours, why not tell me that? If you were going to take between two and three hours, why not tell me that? If you don't know when you're going to get there, why the fuck did you tell me you knew when you were gonna be there? But, that's more my pet peeve about people being imprecise in planning and tardy in arrival than it is my understanding of the usage. I hate waiting.
posted by Netzapper at 6:40 PM on February 12, 2009
"Back in a couple hours" means I'd give you, say, 3.5 hours before calling to see what's held you up.
It's not identical to "2", the way "both" is for me. If you say, I've got both the fork, knife, and spoon I will be absolutely confused, but apparently some people colloquially use it that way.
posted by losvedir at 6:45 PM on February 12, 2009
It's not identical to "2", the way "both" is for me. If you say, I've got both the fork, knife, and spoon I will be absolutely confused, but apparently some people colloquially use it that way.
posted by losvedir at 6:45 PM on February 12, 2009
2
posted by thewalledcity at 6:54 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by thewalledcity at 6:54 PM on February 12, 2009
Exactly 2.
posted by pompomtom at 6:56 PM on February 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by pompomtom at 6:56 PM on February 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
I think a couple of people did, actually.
posted by grouse at 7:09 PM on February 12, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by grouse at 7:09 PM on February 12, 2009 [3 favorites]
When describing discrete quantities, "a couple" means 3. For the continuous, it means 2.467349 . . .
Some may find this irrational.
posted by Neiltupper at 7:24 PM on February 12, 2009
Some may find this irrational.
posted by Neiltupper at 7:24 PM on February 12, 2009
Nthing 2.
posted by Thoughtcrime at 7:32 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by Thoughtcrime at 7:32 PM on February 12, 2009
In regards to time, a couple of hours is two if you are waiting on someone. It's 2-4 if you're not waiting.
posted by magikker at 7:43 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by magikker at 7:43 PM on February 12, 2009
A couple means: "two...but there's a chance I'm lying."
If I was absolutely certain I'd show up in two hours, I'd say "I'll be there in two hours." When I know I should be there in two hours, but might not be, I'd say "I'll be there in a couple of hours."
(This usage is sometimes also applicable to describing people in an ostensibly monogamous relationship as a "couple.")
posted by neroli at 7:55 PM on February 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
If I was absolutely certain I'd show up in two hours, I'd say "I'll be there in two hours." When I know I should be there in two hours, but might not be, I'd say "I'll be there in a couple of hours."
(This usage is sometimes also applicable to describing people in an ostensibly monogamous relationship as a "couple.")
posted by neroli at 7:55 PM on February 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
If you meant exactly 2, you'd just say 'two'.
Couple, like Few, several, is generally used as an approximate.
About or at least two, but maybe 3, or more.
some variation of up to -1 to +3
A 'few' usually means at least three, and goes from there. I wouldn't expect you to say a 'few' for an intdeterminant sum if there was a high probability it would only be two.
So far, none of this is any more enlightening than the dictionary definition, which includes "Two items of the same kind; a pair."
and
"Informal. A few; several: a couple of days."
Except when using it as a synonym for 'pair', I wouldn't expect someone to use 'a couple' in any circumstance where they did have exact number, and gave a fig.
posted by Elysum at 8:10 PM on February 12, 2009
Couple, like Few, several, is generally used as an approximate.
About or at least two, but maybe 3, or more.
some variation of up to -1 to +3
A 'few' usually means at least three, and goes from there. I wouldn't expect you to say a 'few' for an intdeterminant sum if there was a high probability it would only be two.
So far, none of this is any more enlightening than the dictionary definition, which includes "Two items of the same kind; a pair."
and
"Informal. A few; several: a couple of days."
Except when using it as a synonym for 'pair', I wouldn't expect someone to use 'a couple' in any circumstance where they did have exact number, and gave a fig.
posted by Elysum at 8:10 PM on February 12, 2009
"Give me a couple of those chips" never means "give me 2 of those chips".
Actually no, I worked at a cafe and sometimes someone would ask for "a couple ____s," e.g. "a couple cookies." I'd give them exactly 2 of them, and the customer wouldn't complain. So it does mean "give me 2."
posted by Jaltcoh at 8:16 PM on February 12, 2009
Actually no, I worked at a cafe and sometimes someone would ask for "a couple ____s," e.g. "a couple cookies." I'd give them exactly 2 of them, and the customer wouldn't complain. So it does mean "give me 2."
posted by Jaltcoh at 8:16 PM on February 12, 2009
I know it's illogical, but "a couple" for me almost always means "2 or 3."
I don't know if this is a New England regionalism, or some bit that got set the wrong way early on.
posted by zippy at 8:56 PM on February 12, 2009
I don't know if this is a New England regionalism, or some bit that got set the wrong way early on.
posted by zippy at 8:56 PM on February 12, 2009
I've only known one person where "couple" strictly meant "two" and the guy was an elderly man.
Looking at the responses above, having it mean "two" doesn't appear to be as uncommon as I thought it was. Maybe it's a generational or a regional thing?
posted by nikkorizz at 8:57 PM on February 12, 2009
Looking at the responses above, having it mean "two" doesn't appear to be as uncommon as I thought it was. Maybe it's a generational or a regional thing?
posted by nikkorizz at 8:57 PM on February 12, 2009
4
or an amount between 3 and 5
I know people who say "give me a couple of m&m's" and they mean exactly 2. I hate that. There's already a word for a quantity of 2... it's called "two". I hate it so much that I'll never give someone 2 of anything if they ask for a couple.
When I say it I want between 3 and 5, leaning towards 4.
A few to me is 3... or an amount between 2 and 4.
posted by simplethings at 8:58 PM on February 12, 2009
or an amount between 3 and 5
I know people who say "give me a couple of m&m's" and they mean exactly 2. I hate that. There's already a word for a quantity of 2... it's called "two". I hate it so much that I'll never give someone 2 of anything if they ask for a couple.
When I say it I want between 3 and 5, leaning towards 4.
A few to me is 3... or an amount between 2 and 4.
posted by simplethings at 8:58 PM on February 12, 2009
Answer.com says that "couple" informally means a few.
posted by nikkorizz at 9:02 PM on February 12, 2009
posted by nikkorizz at 9:02 PM on February 12, 2009
because nobody fails to know how many cars they have.
I would have been so much happier if this said "houses" instead of cars.
I am a literalist who only uses the word couple to mean two. However, I understand and expect other people to use it to mean "any smallish amount". I stopped correcting people for this, and other grammar mistakes a long time ago.
"It'll just be a couple of minutes" never means "It will be 2 minutes."
"Give me a couple of those chips" never means "give me 2 of those chips".
For me it does mean these things. If I want more than 2 chips I would specify.
I would never say "I need a couple of bucks for the movie" precisely because movies are expensive.
posted by purpletangerine at 9:49 PM on February 12, 2009
I would have been so much happier if this said "houses" instead of cars.
I am a literalist who only uses the word couple to mean two. However, I understand and expect other people to use it to mean "any smallish amount". I stopped correcting people for this, and other grammar mistakes a long time ago.
"It'll just be a couple of minutes" never means "It will be 2 minutes."
"Give me a couple of those chips" never means "give me 2 of those chips".
For me it does mean these things. If I want more than 2 chips I would specify.
I would never say "I need a couple of bucks for the movie" precisely because movies are expensive.
posted by purpletangerine at 9:49 PM on February 12, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by JaredSeth at 5:20 PM on February 12, 2009 [1 favorite]