How long is "a few years ago now."?

My wife and I recently had a conversion where I said "...but that was a few years ago now."

My meaning was it was 10-15 years ago, but wife translated as about 3 years ago, which led to a lot of confusion! (Since a few normally means around 3).

I can't find anywhere that suggests adding the "now" implies a longer time, but certainly when I read "a few years ago now." I'm thinking its a longer time than "just a few".

Note: I'm British and have lived in the US. I'd suspect this is more British than American. My wife's English is excellent, though not a native speaker.

Solution 1:

This is an age-related question.

To a twenty-year-old, a few years would be about 3.

To an eighty-year-old, a few years could be 20 or more.