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a couple always means two.
every time anyone says “a couple”, i ask them if they mean two. it’s not pleasant exchange for either of us, but it must be done
Disagree. I've always understood it to mean approximately two. Usually 2-3; 4 isn't outlandish.
Unless that's the meaning, the expression doesn't have a reason to exist. So that's how I decide to interpret it.
Wrong. A couple is two exactly. After the wedding: Oh look at the happy couple. There aren't 3 or 4 people standing there, 2 people are standing there. A couple.
To couple train carriages together means to attach two carriages together. There are more carriages behind that one, but they were all individually coupled together.
Starting a post with "Wrong." and listing a few items that support your view is... Well it gives me Reddit energy, not a good thing. ;)
Here are some counterexamples that negate it: "I'll be ready in a couple of minutes", "it's a couple of miles away".
This does not always mean exactly two. I mean, if you just want to yell out "it always means exactly two!" Then that's on you, but in the English language everyone else in the world uses, it often means two, but can also mean around but not exactly two, depending on the use case.
Look in any English language dictionary. Show me an entry that states a couple is more than two.
I‘ll wait.