For a quick lesson in the subtle differences in the language of wives, one can do as I have done and suggest home furnishings found in this catalog.
“You know, we don’t really watch that television in the living room. If we removed it and moved that beat-up old trunk with the old magazines in it, we would have room for a Big Buck Hunter HD Super Deluxe instead.”
No.
“Honey, how about a Star Wars Battle Pod? They’re only $30,000. That Extultate Justi blog guy would envy us.”
No.
“What about a twin Mario Kart Arcade GP DX? The boys could play together.”
No.
“Did you know there’s an arcade version of Jetpack Joyride? You know the boys pester you all the time to play that on your phone? If we got one of those, they’d leave you alone.”
No.
Did you see the subtle differences in these examples? Maybe not, for Wife is very inflectional language. But rest assured, each of these Nos was subtly different, conveying different shades of meaning. For instance, I am pretty sure the No response to the Big Buck Hunter was, “Maybe, if you paint the living room first and sell enough QA magazine articles.”
Could she have misunderstood what you were saying? “No” does not seem like a reasonable response to any of these requests.
I will take your advice and press the issue.
Do you have a spare sofa? You know, just in case.