Comment by alexfoo

Indeed. It's similar to a different sliding scale that I've noticed is much more common amongst Brits than it is by other nationalities (in my limited experience):

    Zero number of...
    Insignificant numbers of...
    Not-significant numbers of...
    Not-insignificant numbers of...
    Significant numbers of...
    Very significant numbers of...

Along with the other similar scales (roughly in order):

    None of
    One or two of
    A couple of
    A few of
    Some of
    Many of
    Lots of
    Most of
    Almost all of
    All of