"Some 40" vs "40 some" vs "40 odd"?

Question

Are they all the same ? "Some 40" vs "40 some" vs "40 odd"

Syrian planes and helicopters have dropped barrel bombs on Islamic State-held areas in the north-east, killing some 40 people, activists say.

At first, I could think about threesome, foursome but never 40some! :P — Maulik V, Commented Apr 27, 2015 at 8:03
kicking off all ambiguities, I'd have used 'approximately/around'! — Maulik V, Commented Apr 27, 2015 at 8:05

user3169 · Accepted Answer · 2014-12-28 05:42:01Z

1

The usage in:

killing some 40 people

is some sense 7:

adverb
7) approximately; about ⇒ "some ten men"

40 odd might mean the same thing depending on context.

I can't think offhand of an example using 40 some. There is 40 something, meaning in the forties.

answered Dec 28, 2014 at 5:42

user3169

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40 odd = in the forties?
– Terry3497
Commented Dec 28, 2014 at 5:45
1

I usually hear some-odd combined, but that may be a Texas dialect thing. "Oh, I had 30-some-odd kids in my class" would mean a range from high 20s (27, 28, 29) to probably around the mid 30s (35, 36, 37).
– A.Beth
Commented Jan 27, 2015 at 19:14
"40-some" is a shortened form of "40-something" that people say where I'm from, which is the American Gulf Coast. Not sure where else it might be said.
– Jason Melançon
Commented May 27, 2015 at 9:38
Canada and we use a mix of both. Either the "30-some-odd" or "some-30" or "30-or-something".
– user20827
Commented Jun 26, 2015 at 11:50
Doesn't 40 odd have a slightly off hand connotation? It feels to me that saying that 40-odd people were killed would probably be regarded as insensitive.
– DRF
Commented Jun 26, 2015 at 12:13

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