And the woman didn't realize that when her husband said no, he was just expressing his preference, not making a ruling.

女人也没意识到，他丈夫说“算了”的时候仅仅在表达他的偏好，而非决断。

youdao

The United States and Britain, while expressing a preference for a diplomatic solution, have already threatened the use of military action.

BBC: Despatches

However, support for traditional measurements has gone beyond shoppers merely expressing a consumer preference.

BBC: Will British people ever think in metric?