# All Calls up to Twenty Minutes.... really? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 13, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-calls-up-to-twenty-minutes-really/201318 "2003-09-13T01:08:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-calls-up-to-twenty-minutes-really/201318/21 "2003-09-14T07:43:33Z")
> [@](#): > > The word “All” is a collective. > > The word “calls” is plural. It depends upon what your definition of the word “all” is. > [@](#): > > 1. Being or representing the entire or total number, amount, or quantity: All the windows are open. Deal all the cards. See Synonyms at whole. > 2. Constituting, being, or representing the total extent or the whole: all Christendom. > 3. Being the utmost possible of: argued the case in all seriousness. > 4. Every: got into all manner of trouble. There is nothing in the sentence “all calls up to 20 minutes cost 99 cents” to indicate that we can add up the minutes for separate calls into a tally, and if that tally is less than 20 minutes the total cost of all those calls is 99 cents. Therefore, we can logically deduce that in this context, “all” is synonymous with “every”. Which should be obvious to anybody who is not a complete retard. > [@](#): > > If I said “All frenchfries you can eat in twenty minutes for $0.99” would that make it clearer? I can eat one frenchfry, but then am I done - and I’d have to pay? Frenchfries are never sold individually. Frenchfries are sold in groups. Calls are billed on a call by call basis. Therefore, it would be logical to use the dictionary definition of “all” that means: Constituting, being, or representing the total extent or the whole frenchfries you can eat in twenty minutes cost $0.99. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-calls-up-to-twenty-minutes-really/201318/22 "2003-09-14T08:01:10Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Tyrrell McAllister \* > \*\*Of course, that should be > [ul]"(∀_c\*)( [( _c_ ∈ _C_ & _L_(_c_) ≤ 20 ) ⇒ _C_(_c_) = 0.99] & [( _c_ ∈ _C_ & _L_(_c_) \> 20 ) ⇒ _C_(_c_) = 0.99 + 0. **0** 5 (_L_(_c_) - 20)] )."[/ul] \*\* Well, of COURSE! I’m glad you caught that before I had to point it out. ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-calls-up-to-twenty-minutes-really/201318/23 "2003-09-14T20:16:23Z")
We have a fridge full of soft drinks at work. There is a sign posted which states: "All Drinks .30". So far nobody has left .30 and emptied the fridge of all soft drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-calls-up-to-twenty-minutes-really/201318/24 "2003-09-15T00:35:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hermann \* > \*\*We have a fridge full of soft drinks at work. There is a sign posted which states: "All Drinks .30". So far nobody has left .30 and emptied the fridge of all soft drinks. \*\* But OTOH, if you really did want to sell all the drinks at once, 30 cents for the whole fridgeful, how else would you word the sign? If it were my sign, I’d write “$.30 each” just to be safe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-calls-up-to-twenty-minutes-really/201318.md?page=1)