Does fill mean full?

OK the scenario was an instruction manual for one of those air cooker thingys.

Stated "do not fill with sunflower oil" then unhelpfuly stated that you can add a teaspoon of it.

The person reading the instructions concluded they could add add sunflower oil but not "fill" to the top.

Now I`ll be the first to admit that my initial thought of the phrase "do not fill with xxx" would mean you could put as much in as you like as long as you don`t fill it to the top (or near - If you fill a kettle it`s not meant to be above the "MAX" mark etc etc).

Then I considered do not fill with xxx to mean do not put any xxx in just as the case with petrol in the lamp.

So I concluded they probably meant do not put any in but beggared that up by saying well ok then but nore more than a spoonfull.

Fill being the act of transfering something (usually fluid) from one thing to another and full meaning up to the normal maximum amount.

So you could fill without filling full.

What was the instruction meant to convey?



reminds me of when I was a teenager and walking to a pedestrian gate railway track crossing. No guards, lights etc just a sign advising not to cross if a train was insight or some such. A bloke informed us that in Bolton the signs had been changed from "wait while the trains come" or something like that because it was possible to be mistaken to mean wait until the trains get to the crossing then walk accross and get run over by the train.


In real life we all use common language that is not always strictly correct.

Words or phrases have common meanings, not always the actual tecnichal means and not always the same technical meaning applying for all disciplines (Legal/medical/engineering etc etc) we usually know what we mean in the context it was said but sometimes not.


"Give that me" meaning give that (to) me, often the meaning is clear because the true meaning would be nonsense but sometimes either/or applies so the meaning is misunderstood.

"True twins" is a loose medical term to denote one type of the many set types of twins that occour but that does not mean that other types of twins are not truly twins even by legal or medical definition.

"King Charles walked and talked half an hour after his head was cut off!" makes no sense if written or spoken without appropiate pauses or commas then makes complete sense.


(Hmm some people say I should get out more so I`ll not cite more examples for now) ?

OK the scenario was an instruction manual for one of those air cooker thingys.

Stated "do not fill with sunflower oil" then unhelpfuly stated that you can add a teaspoon of it.

The person reading the instructions concluded they could add add sunflower oil but not "fill" to the top.

Now I`ll be the first to admit that my initial thought of the phrase "do not fill with xxx" would mean you could put as much in as you like as long as you don`t fill it to the top (or near - If you fill a kettle it`s not meant to be above the "MAX" mark etc etc).

Then I considered do not fill with xxx to mean do not put any xxx in just as the case with petrol in the lamp.

So I concluded they probably meant do not put any in but beggared that up by saying well ok then but nore more than a spoonfull.

Fill being the act of transfering something (usually fluid) from one thing to another and full meaning up to the normal maximum amount.

So you could fill without filling full.

What was the instruction meant to convey?



reminds me of when I was a teenager and walking to a pedestrian gate railway track crossing. No guards, lights etc just a sign advising not to cross if a train was insight or some such. A bloke informed us that in Bolton the signs had been changed from "wait while the trains come" or something like that because it was possible to be mistaken to mean wait until the trains get to the crossing then walk accross and get run over by the train.


In real life we all use common language that is not always strictly correct.

Words or phrases have common meanings, not always the actual tecnichal means and not always the same technical meaning applying for all disciplines (Legal/medical/engineering etc etc) we usually know what we mean in the context it was said but sometimes not.


"Give that me" meaning give that (to) me, often the meaning is clear because the true meaning would be nonsense but sometimes either/or applies so the meaning is misunderstood.

"True twins" is a loose medical term to denote one type of the many set types of twins that occour but that does not mean that other types of twins are not truly twins even by legal or medical definition.

"King Charles walked and talked half an hour after his head was cut off!" makes no sense if written or spoken without appropiate pauses or commas then makes complete sense.


(Hmm some people say I should get out more so I`ll not cite more examples for now) ?