Gradable antonyms

In the case of gradable antonyms, one member of the pair is generally perceived as the unmarked or default option in expressions of degree, e.g. ‘20 miles long’ not ‘20 miles short’. In 2010 the American comedian Joan Rivers was unimpressed by her host’s use of a stylistically marked choice to reveal her age, and responded with one of her own:

‘I met Vanessa Feltz and she said: “Here’s Joan, she’s 77 years young,” and I wanted to say “And here’s Vanessa Feltz and she’s 350 pounds thin.”’