Q. I say that “between 2000 and 2010” means Jan. 1, 2001, through Dec. 31, 2009. Am I (a) correct or (b) crazy?
A. You aren’t correct or crazy, but you are maybe a little more literal-minded than necessary. Although you could argue that your interpretation is technically correct, it’s often not what people mean when they say or write “between.” Look at it this way: if your cat disappeared sometime between Monday and Wednesday, would you deduce that it had to have been on Tuesday?