[Gllug] ``Confidential`` .sigs

[John Winters]

On Sun, 2004-12-05 at 11:55, Nix wrote:
> On Fri, 03 Dec 2004, Richard Turner stated:
> > On Fri, 2004-12-03 at 13:59 +0000, David Damerell wrote:
> >> Consider that similar supermarket dimwits eventually replaced "10
> >> items or less" with "10 items only".
> >> 
> > Is the word "fewer" really so difficult to understand?!
> 
> `Less' and `fewer' are synonyms in that context,

Not quite.  "Less" refers to things which you can't count - porridge,
sewage, education etc.  "Fewer" is for things that you can count, like
bananas, supermarkets or items.  It's odd that no-one ever makes this
mistake the other way around.

> except that `fewer' is
> clumsier without rephrasing as the slightly bizarre `Fewer than 11
> items',

There's nothing clumsy about "10 items or fewer".

Of course you can always cut the Gordian knot as Waitrose does and say,
"1 basket only".

HTH
John

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