title: What does "compares less than 0" mean?
body: <h2>Context</h2>
  
  <p>While I was reading <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Consistent comparison</a>, I have noticed a peculiar usage of the verb <em>to compare</em>:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>There’s a new three-way comparison operator, <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">&lt;=></a>. The expression <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a &lt;=> b</a>
    returns an object that compares <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">&lt;0</a> if <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a &lt; b</a>, compares <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">>0</a> if <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a > b</a>, and
    compares <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">==0</a> if <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a</a> and <a href="http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/docs/papers/2017/p0515r2.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">b</a> are equal/equivalent.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>Another example found on the internet (emphasis mine):</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>It returns a value that <em>compares less than zero</em> on failure. Otherwise,
    the returned value can be used as the first argument on a later call
    to get.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>One last <a href="https://github.com/mranga/sipxecs/blob/master/sipXpage/src/main/java/org/sipfoundry/sipxpage/RtpPacket.java" rel="nofollow noreferrer">example</a>, found in a  on GitHub (emphasis mine):</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>// Perform a circular 16 bit compare.  <br/>
    // If the distance between the two numbers is larger than 32767,  <br/>
    // and the numbers are larger than 32768, subtract 65536  <br/>
    // Thus, 65535 <em>compares less than 0</em>, but greater than 65534  <br/>
    // This handles the 65535->0 wrap around case correctly</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>Of course, for experienced programmers the meaning is clear. But the way the verb <em>to compare</em> is used in these examples is not standard in any standardized forms of English.   </p>
  
  <h2>Questions<sup>*</sup></h2>
  
  <ul>
  <li>How does the programming <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jargon" rel="nofollow noreferrer">jargon</a> sentence "The object compares less than zero" translate into <em>plain English</em>?</li>
  <li>Does it mean that if the object is compared with<code>0</code> the result will be "less than zero"?</li>
  <li>Why would be wrong to say "object <em>is</em> less than zero" instead of "object <em>compares</em> less than zero"?</li>
  </ul>
  
  <hr>
  
  <p><sub>* I asked for help on <a href="https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/148337/is-the-verb-to-compare-used-correctly-in-this-sentence">English Language Learners</a> and <a href="https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/419939/what-does-compares-less-than-zero-mean">English Language &amp; Usage</a>.</p>
  
  <p></sub></p>