Numbers and Exaggeration

When you exaggerate using numbers, what is your favourite? Mine is 47, as in:

• Yeah, I told him 47 times to do it.
• Wow! There were like 47 people stuffed into that car.
• I have 47 projects due next week.

Forty-seven is just a fun number to say, and it sounds legit. Rounded, even numbers (100, 50, etc.) sound too exact to be right. Having a higher digit on the end, like seven, almost makes the number seem larger than it is.

Because of overuse, numbers like one million and one thousand simply have no verbal clout left in them. They need to be retired to make room for the 47's of the world. Try it! The next time you're engaged in informal conversation, and you're about to exaggerate, use the number 47. It just feels good.