Quote:
Originally Posted by SizzleChest
can, may, up-to, as much as - words meant to deceive or exaggerate.
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Only meant to deceive those that do not know the meaning/reasoning behind it. What is true for some may not be true for others. This is why we use those particular words. Because everyone is different, we can't expect what happens to one person happen to the next (this has to do with thresholds but I won't get into that).
Ex. A 24 year old marathon running who never smoked a cigarette in his life dies of cancer.
A 94 year old man who smoked chronically since he was 14 who has a clean bill of health.
This is why those words are used. Because they are not a certainty but more of a probability.