a couple three

[Will Layman]

The specificity of the Urban Dictionary definition (couple-three  
originating in MICHIGAN?  Sez who?) is the result of the definitions  
being typed in by just about anybody.  No serious editorial filter.   
For example, the word "awesome" on the UD has 17 different  
definitions, the last of which is:

What a boyfriend usually refers to his girlfriend as, in the early  
part of the relationship. Usually replaced with 'bitchy', 'annoying',  
or 'crazy', at the very first sign a girl suddenly seems human to the  
guy, or disagrees with him about anything. 'Awesome' is synonymous  
with 'incredible', 'sweet', 'amazing', and other such terms of  
endearment.

Which is to say, the UD is kind of fun but not exactly definitive.

As for "couple three", this is a locution that Pynchon has always  
used in his novels and his essays.  I don't think its presence is a  
function of his historical research as much as a function of his just  
really liking the phrase -- a rhythmic, colorful was of saying "a  
smallish but indeterminate amount" that seems to flow off the  
American tongue.

-- Will

On Jan 21, 2007, at 5:48 PM, Jarek Hirny wrote:

> Hi,
>
> on p 49 Nate Privett says "They're meeting right down the El line a
> couple-three stops [...]".
>
> But, but, but. I looked up what precisely "a couple-three" means  
> and on
> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=a+couple+three it  
> states
> that this term originated in 1960s. Definitely not the time of Nate's
> quotation.
>
> Is it an older term? Urbandict is wrong? Or, some Pynchon's slip of  
> the
> tongue? Which I highly doubt thanks to his generally praised ear  
> for american idiom...
>
> thanks,
> Jarek
>

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