Brief Words

[arch_scrivener]

With all due respect, today's xkcd has it wrong.

• A couple is two.
  
• A few is three.
  
• Several is four.
  
• A handful is five.

This should be obvious.

Comments

[a_h_scientist]

With all due respect, you cannot assign a number to "a handful" without knowing what the items are. A handful of M&Ms may be as many as twenty. A handful of toddlers may be as few as one.

The speaker may also be important. For one of my old bosses, the statement, "I asked several people, and the consensus was..." always meant one person... the spouse.