# archaic words used to describe quantity **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2000, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-words-used-to-describe-quantity/29470 "2000-08-15T17:57:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2000, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-words-used-to-describe-quantity/29470/1 "2000-08-15T17:57:00Z")
a “few” of these a “couple” days ago “several” of my friends a “pair” of blue jeans a “bunch” of bananas Do any of these words have an actual “official” numeric value? “Couple” is obviously meant to imply two, but is often distorted, as is “a pair,” as in pants. Who ever started calling pants “a pair?” Pants are one item, consisting of two leg coverings. You don’t say “a pair of shirts” when you refer to one shirt with long sleeves. Subsequently, would a single “pant” have only one leg? IMHO couple has always meant two, several means three, few means four or five… and so on. I am interested to hear more concerning this topic. I’m sure there are more words than what I have listed, I just can’t recall them immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2000, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-words-used-to-describe-quantity/29470/2 "2000-08-15T18:38:26Z")
Some of your answers can be found [here](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_249b.html). ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2000, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-words-used-to-describe-quantity/29470/3 "2000-08-15T23:09:47Z")
Pants,scissors,pliars etc. are called pairs because they are actually two parts which are not identical but which,when combined, make a working unit. The left and right legs of pants are the reverse of each other as are the two parts of a set[?]of pliars—or scissors. Maybe that’s why married couples are often referred to as ‘pairs’. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-words-used-to-describe-quantity/29470/4 "2000-08-16T00:14:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MagicalSilverKey \* > \*\*a “few” of these > a “couple” days ago > “several” of my friends > a “pair” of blue jeans > a “bunch” of bananas > > Do any of these words have an actual “official” numeric value? “Couple” is obviously meant to imply two, but is often distorted, as is “a pair,” as in pants. Who ever started calling pants “a pair?” Pants are one item, consisting of two leg coverings. You don’t say “a pair of shirts” when you refer to one shirt with long sleeves. Subsequently, would a single “pant” have only one leg?\*\* Few is basically a very small portion of a whole (IOW, a few in a pile of 25 million would be a few thousand, probably). A pair is two of the same thing, so a pair of pants is a pair of pantlegs. One can have a single pantleg. A bunch is more an indication that there are X number of things in a grouping. I don’t think it indicates more than that there are more than two. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-words-used-to-describe-quantity/29470/5 "2000-08-16T01:51:20Z")
My unofficial definitions of many of these: Couple: 2 few: 3 some: 4 many : 5 or more several : 7 or more Note, these are highly informal (except for couple, that’s always 2). But the relative order is fairly concrete. Several is more than many is more than some is more than a few. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-words-used-to-describe-quantity/29470/6 "2000-08-17T01:45:15Z")
In “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum,” a gaggle of geese is defined as at least seven. I hope I got the title of the play right. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-words-used-to-describe-quantity/29470/7 "2000-08-17T10:13:18Z")
I think you have to place an upper limit on “several.” I mean, if a hundred thousand angry wasps appeared on the horizon, I wouldn’t say, “Run, everybody! Several angry wasps are going to attack!” ---
**Author:** ![writefetus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9de053/32.png) [@writefetus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/writefetus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/archaic-words-used-to-describe-quantity/29470/8 "2000-08-17T12:29:04Z")
From [snpp.com](http://snpp.com): “My car gets 50 rods to the hogshead…” ``` Abe Simpson ``` According to my dictionary, a `rod' is around 16 1/2 feet, while a `hogshead’ is around 63 gallons… ie 0.0025 miles per gallon.