A considerable number; more than expected or more than just a few, though the exact amount remains deliberately vague.
This phrase emerged in the 18th century as a way to indicate a substantial quantity without being specific. The word 'quite' intensifies 'few,' creating an interesting linguistic paradox where 'few' (typically meaning not many) becomes modified to mean 'many,' showing how context and intensifiers can completely reverse a word's typical meaning.
This phrase is a perfect example of English's love affair with deliberate vagueness - it allows speakers to convey 'a lot' while maintaining plausible deniability about the exact number. It's more emphatic than 'several' but less committal than 'many,' occupying that perfect middle ground of impressive but indefinite quantity.
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