Couple means 2 or more than 2?
 

Hey,

To show how bored I am ... when you say 'a couple of minutes' it means like 2 mins right? My partner always argues that it means 4 or 5. WTF, if it meant 4 or 5 then a 'married couple' would get a little crowded in the bedroom.

Sorry, did say I was bored.

a couple is generally a pair, ie TWO
however a couple of days, or a couple of minutes can mean a small amount, not always TWO

I have always used: a couple = 2. Hence, 'The make a nice couple'.
A few is three, sometimes four.
I guess it depends where you're from.

Couple is 2, few is 3, handful is 4 or 6 and several is 5 or 9. :)

Couple is always two..

How many is a 'fuckload'? :Oh crap

A "couple" means "two", usually.

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh ...

Where I used to live everyone said 'hot'

like a 'hot second' is like 15 minutes or so
and a 'hot minute' is like 1-3 hours

but yeah, couple is 2, a few would be a much better word for more than two

Couple means 2 minutes... :)

Just a sec (1-30seconds)

Wait a minute (31-120 seconds)

Couple minutes (121 -240 sec)

Wait a 5 minutes (241-360sec)

:)

take a couple, multiply by a few, multiply total by 1 000 000 an you have a fuckload

In Hawaii we just say, "Try wait."

I remember always telling people id be ther "in six to nine" minutes. :)

Ahh, highschool!

What about in Mexico? When a Mexican says "Five minutes, senor" it invariably always means 20, not 5. :D Mexican time.

When speaking of a couple, like a married couple, it always means 2. When saying "A couple of minutes" it generally means 2 but if it runs into 3 or 4 most people accept that as "a couple of minutes" too. When some people say it'll be a couple of minutes they expect a window of up to 10. So I think the meaning is pretty flexible.

Saying "a few" gives you a bit more leeway, but if you say a few and then it only takes 2 minutes is anyone really going to argue about it? Seriously, banker dude says to you "I'll be back in a couple of minutes with your bank draft payment of $750,000 sir" and he takes 3 minutes to get back to you with your inheritance are you going to then stand there quibbling with the guy because he took an extra minute or are you going to get on with your life and shut the hell up about what "a couple" means?

I know what I'd do.

A small indefinite number. It means approximately two.