Definitions and Mathematicians

Any mathematician will freely admit to our obsession with definitions. As an example of this, observe the result of asking any mathematician "Are you okay?" A normal individual would reply "Yes" or "No". Not so with a mathematician; you can fully expect a mathematician to reply, "How do you define 'okay'?" This is the main point I wanted to make; a mathematician will resist attempting any problem until he understands every word contained in the problem itself.
I should forewarn anyone reading this who might be either taking or planning to take any math courses at the university level and has the need to visit a professor during office hours: Please DO NOT ask for assistance with solving a problem without first understanding all relevant definitions. If you do this, you will at the very least annoy your professor, who will usually be unrestrained in expressing his annoyance at you. I should clarify: There is nothing wrong with being confused at definitions in material recently learned, and a math professor will have no problems if you say, "I am confused on problem 9. FIRST OFF, I AM CONFUSED BY THE DEFINITION OF...". In expressing your confusion while simultaneously admitting that you are unclear regarding one or more definitions, you are at least acknowledging that your confusion regarding definition(s) is obstructing your progress. If, however, you simply ask for help on a problem and- when the professor queries you regarding one of the definitions in the problem itself you reply that you do not know - then your professor will almost certainly become annoyed.
How does this notion apply in real world situations? We have seen several examples of this in terms of current events. For instance, what is the definition of an economic "depression" as compared to a "recession"? The lack of a clear quantitative definition raises the following question: Was the recent (and possibly still ongoing) economic crisis a recession or a depression? The term "Great
Recession" seems like an absurd attempt at sidestepping this issue.