A voice of reason <3 Thanks for the article, it’s an interesting read. The broadening goes back a lot further than I thought; 1586 dayum. Idk what the people in this thread are smoking

you’re arguing against a dictionary definition

where are you all getting those numbers from? If you ask me for a couple of pens and I give you four pens, would you even notice in that moment and be weirded out?

Edit: And what do you mean “even if that were true”, my brother in christ this is a contemporary dictionary. This is how people use the phrase

Maybe the generally accepted definition of “a couple of things” changed throughout the years. I am not exaggerating when I say I’ve never heard it used to refer to exactly two things, neither in English nor in my native language where there exists an equivalent phrase. But if you say that you have heard it that way, then so be it. Not to say you’re old or anything, but English did change a little bit since 65+ years ago. I don’t really understand where all the people arguing against a contemporary dictionary came from but it is quite entertaining :D

I’m not arguing that “a couple of things” can never be two, but that its pedantic to expect everyone to think it means “exactly two”, when clearly that isn’t the case, as proven by dictionaries. Language changes, and it’s ridiculous to stand your ground and say “No! ‘Couple’ means two, so ‘a couple of’ must also mean two of!”. It’s like redirecting a river with traffic signs, you can try but it’s not gonna change how the phrase is used in modern, contemporary English.

Honestly for a moment I thought I was taking crazy pills in this thread. I had to show this to a couple people to make sure I’m not completely out of touch, but they all confirmed that “a couple of” is usually more than two. Idk why people on here are so argumentative about this :D

And yeah, atomicblocks was just fighting ghosts. Idk what they thought this was about, but they just didn’t seem to understand what was being discussed. Oh well, just another pointless argument on the internet

ok redditor

I know Lemmy is basically just Reddit and thus full of pedants who think they are smarter than the average person. But you need to realise that 99% of people out there don’t think of 2 items when thinking about “a couple of things”. In my 15 or so years of knowing English, I’ve never encountered a use of “a couple of” where the speaker meant exactly two. So yes they are correct technically, but at the same time just communicating poorly

No, it is not worth my time arguing with willfully ignorant people

take it up with merriam-webster, an institution tracking how people use words and phrases

how often have you referred to a romantic couple as “a couple of people”. What if I say “A couple of people attended my party”, does that mean a romantic couple showed up and no one else?

I didn’t say they were wrong, just that they are a pedant. If people consistently ask you for “a couple of X”, and you give them 2, and they are always confused, maybe it’s not that the people are stupid, but that you are communicating badly on purpose to feel superior

different context. The definition I sent is specifically for “a couple of”

you’re a pedant: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a couple of#dictionary-entry-1