Fewer than What?

[gnomi]

In this morning's Boston Globe, I found the folowing sentence:

Nationwide, fewer than a handful of states routinely allow people to use translators to take the written driving test because of concerns for public safety, said Brian Zimmer, president of the Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License, a Washington-based nonprofit that favors strong standards for licenses to prevent terrorism, crime, and identity theft.

Leaving aside the issue of the length of the sentence, I was bothered by the phrase "fewer than a handful of states." "Fewer" is correct there, since "states" are countable, but how can one have fewer than a metaphorical handful? There are better ways to say the same thing: very few states; a small number of states; only [n] states; and others.

Comments

[elrhiarhodan]

Yes, it's a stupid sentence, but I've always interpreted "handful" to mean five out of many, and "fewer than a handful" is usually less than five.

What's even stupider is the use of the word "Nationwide".

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

The whole sentence needs help. I was just oddly struck by "fewer than a handful" this morning. Monday brain, I guess.

[madfilkentist]

Nationwide, it's fewer than a handful, but in some parts of the country, it's more.

[cramerica.livejournal.com]

Possibly the only time I'll notice the phrase "more than a handful" used in a serious context.

[moonpuppy61.livejournal.com]

It does sound odd but I take comfort in knowing that there are other Countries with States so by mentioning 'nationwide' restricts it to only the States in the USA.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

It is rather awkward.