It’s the difference between a literal reading and “what would a person typically mean when saying these things”. If someone tells you a story with a lot of stereotypical descriptions, then it’s most likely either true or the setup for a joke. If someone asks you “a or a+b”, they typically mean “only a or a+b”. Going along with conversational standards makes communication easier, so it takes some conscious effort to break out and answer the literal question.
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