It Means A Whole Range Of Things

(My dad and stepmother will be going out of town for a couple of weeks, and my dad is giving me basic instructions.)

Dad: “And don’t try to get clever… Don’t try to heat anything on the range.”

Me: “You mean the stove? I know how to use it. I use it every week to make lasagna.”

Dad: “You mean the oven?”

Me: “No, that thing on top of the oven.”

Dad: “That’s the microwave oven.”

Me: “No…”

(I go downstairs and point.)

Dad: “That’s the range.”

(I’m confused as to how I spent my whole life calling it a stove and he has no idea what the word means…)