A"couple or a "pair" ?

• A"couple or a "pair" ? by aarrggh on 31 Dec, 2011 18:30
•    What is the difference between "a couple" and "a pair" - if there is one ? .
  My idea has always been that they are the same . . However, if i say , "I`ll see you in a couple of minutes" , do I REALLY mean two ? .
    I CERTAINLY don`t mean it if i say "gimme a couple of seconds" . And I`ve never said "a pair of seconds" or "a pair of minutes" .
     I`d probably say , "I saw a couple dancing" . If I said , "I saw a pair dancing", I`d probably be asked, "A pair of what" ? Or be told , "Pears can`t dance" .
    So is there a difference ? Or are they the same ?
  
     And what is the difference between "some" and "a few" ? If I ask for a "few" apples , would I get "some" ? If I asked for "some" soup  , I certainly would not get "a few" . .
  
    These are  just a couple of things i`m wondering about as the "New Year" approaches ........
  
                               
• #1 by The Noggin on 01 Jan, 2012 06:18
• I bet you've had a couple of these: 
• #2 by Slynito on 01 Jan, 2012 07:07
• Have you been listening to old George Carlin on YouTube? You are good.
  
   
• #3 by Ming the Merciless on 01 Jan, 2012 07:28
• I would say that "a couple" could be two things similar but not exactly alike:  "There were a couple of cars seen leaving the lot after the theft."  "We ate only a couple of snacks."
  
  I would say that "a pair" would be two things completely identical or nearly so:  "A pair of dice." "A pair of shoes."
  
  
• #4 by buddha on 01 Jan, 2012 07:44
• This is one of the reasons that Sly Bald Guys is and are so cool. We deal on a daily basis with a variety of very deep, sometimes philosophical, topics that keep us centered and stimulate our brains.
  Happy New Year.
• #5 by Arnie on 01 Jan, 2012 10:14
• You say tomato, I say tomahto...
• #6 by D.A.L.U.I. on 01 Jan, 2012 10:37
• Well, every place else "pair" implies more than one object, right?  In New Orleans the beads--plastic necklaces--tossed by the riders of the floats to the crowds are referred to, each string, as  "a pair of beads."   Maybe it's just hoping for more from the riders. 
• #7 by xnewyawka on 01 Jan, 2012 11:21
• They're hoping for a "pair", saint, but it's not the beads, lol.  
• #8 by D.A.L.U.I. on 01 Jan, 2012 11:26
• Show a pair to get a pair!  Economics of Mardi Gras!
• #9 by xnewyawka on 01 Jan, 2012 11:35
• Sounds like a "fair trade"