Editing 1070: Words for Small Sets
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | The noun "couple" | + | The noun "couple" means "exactly two items of the same kind". The comic/chart is satirizing how laymen sometimes use the word "couple" interchangeably with words like "few" or "several", which in this context mean "comparatively small but definitely greater than one". It is also satirizing arguments about the relative meaning of phrases like "few" and "several" (some people will argue that "several" should mean more than "few", while others will argue the opposite or that it doesn't matter), making this comic nerd [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll+bait troll bait]; [[Randall]] is attempting to "troll" or get a certain group of people fired up by taking an unpopular side of the argument. To be certain the side he picked is an unpopular one, Randall has made up his own by proposing a "compromise" more likely to infuriate everyone than to make any side happy (a technique he's [[:Category:Compromise|used before]]). The comic's claim to "clear things up" also makes it similar to the "definitive standard" proposed in [[394: Kilobyte]]. |
− | + | The title text is another troll. Randall says "Try asking a couple of friends [...] unless all three of them agree," which implies that a couple means exactly three, a very unpopular view! | |
− | + | There could also be a pun in the title text: it could be construed as asking whether it would be a bad idea for a couple (that is, two people in a romantic relationship) to partake in a {{w|ménage à trois}}. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea as long as all three of them agree. | |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[ | + | :[A small chart.] |
:Just to clear things up: | :Just to clear things up: | ||
− | : | + | :A few: anywhere from 2 to 5 |
− | + | :A handful: anywhere from 2 to 5 | |
− | : | + | :Several: anywhere from 2 to 5 |
− | + | :A couple: 2 (but sometimes up to 5) | |
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
[[Category:Charts]] | [[Category:Charts]] | ||
[[Category:Language]] | [[Category:Language]] | ||
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