On 06/28/2018 05:40 PM, Char Jackson wrote:

[snip]

"Can I get a cup of coffee" - you're asking the server to make a medical
diagnosis as to whether you'd be physically able to do it. The literal
answer is probably yes, seeing as how you were able to push the door
open, walk in, make your way to a table and sit down. The server will
automatically translate the question into one that makes more sense.

One thing I object to is when people mix up "one is not" with "not one
is" (or similar).

I have 2 US coins worth a total of 30 cents. One is not a nickel. What
are they?

A quarter and a nickel.

That answer fits the stated rule ("one is not a nickel" doesn't say
anything about the other). It doesn't fit the "translation" (not one is
a nickel).

"all cars are not blue" is wrong (you prove it any time you see a blue
car). it should have been "not all cars are blue" or "some cars are not
blue" or "only some cars are blue".

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"The hands that help are better far than the lips that pray." -- Robert
G. Ingersoll