Don't Fake The Funk

The Inexactness of "A Couple"

I think I should have named this entry, "Yes Dear..."

Beth and I have had this on-going argument about the correct and proper usage of the phrase "a couple." I, as a native English speaker, have always used "a couple" to mean "two." Beth insists that it is not a precise phrase and that it could mean more than two.

This all started at the M.Y.M.P concert last week when I was outside waiting for friends and she was inside saving us "a couple of seats." There were five of us outside so obviously I was concerned.

"Just two?" I asked. "We need at least three more."

She replied with, "Like I said, we're saving you a couple of seats!"

And then we started arguing and only yesterday did we stop. It turns out that Beth is right. We looked it up in the dictionary. Grr....

"A couple" does mean "two" but it can also mean "more than two, but not many" -- which is exactly (hah!) the number of seats she was saving for us at the MYMP concert.

Needless to say I'm a little bit miffed that someone whose first language is NOT English knows English better than me. It doesn't matter, though. I will continue to use the phrase "a couple" to mean exactly two.

But I'll stop arguing with Beth about the inexactness of "a couple" or else we might not exactly be a couple anymore.

Posted by glenn at October 2, 2006 09:37 AM