How do you interpret the word "most"?

[KFC911]

And why not .001% ?

[thor66]

it really is 50% + 1

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by thor66

it really is 50% + 1

Not really... think about it.

[Bill Douglas]

50% and a little bit more.

[herr_oberst]

Depends on the number of categories. Just because most of us like vanilla doesn't mean that vanilla has more than 50% of the likes.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

Largest, greatest, unsurpassed .

That's all you need to know about what "most" means.

[sc_rufctr]

Anything above 55%.

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Anything above 55%.

For the most part.

[Rusty Heap]

More than a few.

[doug_porsche]

Most is anything more than half.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Depends on the number of categories. Just because most of us like vanilla doesn't mean that vanilla has more than 50% of the likes.

I see what you mean. More of us can like vanilla than any other flavor, but if the other 21 flavors form a coalition of flavors that amount to, say, 80% of the total, vanilla can still be most popular with 20% of the vote. They don't have the most enthusiasts, but they have more than the fans of any other single flavor.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I see what you mean. More of us can like vanilla than any other flavor, but if the other 21 flavors form a coalition of flavors that amount to, say, 80% of the total, vanilla can still be most popular with 20% of the vote. They don't have the most enthusiasts, but they have more than the fans of any other single flavor.

Yep.

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I see what you mean. More of us can like vanilla than any other flavor, but if the other 21 flavors form a coalition of flavors that amount to, say, 80% of the total, vanilla can still be most popular with 20% of the vote. They don't have the most enthusiasts, but they have more than the fans of any other single flavor.

Thanks. that explains why I was ridiculed by the other kids. I LOVED vanilla and got called names by all the chocolate/strawberry/hokey pokey/lime loving kids.

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by KC911

I think this is the most correct answer .... after Sammy's .

"Most" could be a truly miniscule amount of the total, but like many, I usually think of a bigly chunk too when I hear it used.

Next thread topic is "bigly"

Actually, each answer is correct since the OP asked how we interpret the word ‘most’.
If one would say he interprets ‘most’ as ‘less than half’, that too would be a correct answer… . (Lame, I know)

[Bill Douglas]

it's just an abbreviation of mostest.

mostest, meaning the bigglyest amount.

[wdfifteen]

Looking at your graph it's clear that what "most" means is how you ask the question.

Most people do no prefer red.

But red is the most preferred color.

[herr_oberst]

Patrick, that is a most excellent observation!

[Otter74]

Oh, sorry, I misread the OP

[doug_porsche]

This just brought back a memory of my favorite news paper story tag line.

The bold print headline for the story, out of Australia, said:
Most students above average in math!

Hadn't thought about that headline for years.

I love the concept that more than half the kids are better in math than half of all of the kids.

[mattdavis11]

I got her panties off most of the way. That doesn't tell the whole story. Did you slide them to the side, then get tangled up in them?