the importance of being right

struck by a moment of epiphany, i asked k in the car on the journey home,
"what's the difference between wrong and incorrect?"

"orh", he went without a moment of hesistation
i wasn't expecting him to be so ready with an answer.
so i was all ears.
"wrong, is, when u get all the answers wrong in mastermind -
that is, both colour AND position wrong;
and incorrect is when you get the colour right but the position wrong!"

the look on my face was in all bewilderment.

he even tried to help.
"mastermind, you know, the game - mastermind??"

we definitely definitely hail from different planets

"i think," as i tried to explain,
"wrong, and right, are less absolute than incorrect and correct;
wrong is subjective, incorrect is definite and objective - within set parameters.
for example, an answer is incorrect and an opinion wrong"

"orrh," he went again.
"like when you ask someone, blah blah blah... right?,
the right is in a questioning manner?"

i blinked twice.

i think he's right!