![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
According to the local paper's website "less than a handful" of thefts happened at the Bestival. How big is a handful, I wonder. Can you actually have less than a handful, or would "less than a handful" otherwise be called "one." Or does this mean a theft of something so titchy-tiny that you can't even hold it in one hand without it slipping through your fingers? Theft of an atom, perhaps? On the other hand, if you stole one single elephant, fitting it in your hand would be challenging.
What's bigger: a handful, or a few? How much bigger than "only a few" is "quite a few"? What range of numbers are covered by "one or two"? How much bigger than "one or two" is "two of three?" I have to admit that, to me, "a couple" probably actually goes up to 4, and, depending on context, "millions" might start at about 20, as does "a million and one." If you're dealing with a subset of the entire population of the world, I suppose a quantity can simultaneously be "millions" and "only a few".
Perhaps I should get back to work...
What's bigger: a handful, or a few? How much bigger than "only a few" is "quite a few"? What range of numbers are covered by "one or two"? How much bigger than "one or two" is "two of three?" I have to admit that, to me, "a couple" probably actually goes up to 4, and, depending on context, "millions" might start at about 20, as does "a million and one." If you're dealing with a subset of the entire population of the world, I suppose a quantity can simultaneously be "millions" and "only a few".
Perhaps I should get back to work...
