OT: "I could care less." Really?

[Kibitzer]

Occasionally, posters say make this statement ("I could care less") when they really mean to say, "I couldn't care less." Think about it.

Another. "Unique" is an absolute modifier. "A number one, top of the heap." One (un-) of a kind. End of the line. Like top, bottom, first, last, best, worst, most, least, etc. I'm sure you get the idea.

No qualifying modifier is needed; e.g., "pretty unique" or "rather unique." It's wise to avoid these usages.

It's not a grammatical sin to slip in a "very" in front of some of the modifiers cited above, for emphasis ("very least" is OK), but not before "unique." That's what makes it, well, unique.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Occasionally, posters say make this statement ("I could care less") when they really mean to say, "I couldn't care less." Think about it.

Another. "Unique" is an absolute modifier. "A number one, top of the heap." One (un-) of a kind. End of the line. Like top, bottom, first, last, best, worst, most, least, etc. I'm sure you get the idea.

No qualifying modifier is needed; e.g., "pretty unique" or "rather unique." It's wise to avoid these usages.

It's not a grammatical sin to slip in a "very" in front of some of the modifiers cited above, for emphasis ("very least" is OK), but not before "unique." That's what makes it, well, unique.

Relatively unique words about a topic most could care less a about. Fishy post, and I don't get what the porpoise was.

 

[HuskyNan]

My most recent beef is that everything is IMPORTANT and AMAZING and SPECTACULAR or STUNNING. Watch the evening news, any network. The first five stories will be BREAKING NEWS! even if it happened yesterday.

Words are starting to lose their meaning.

 

[Magy Cannon]

I couldn't care less.

 

[Magy Cannon]

Well truthfully, I could care less. It bugs me when people say "I could care less", when I know they mean "I couldn't care less".

 

[Bliss]

I could care less if I chose to do so.

 

[meyers7]

Occasionally, posters say make this statement ("I could care less") when they really mean to say, "I couldn't care less." Think about it.

Completely disagree. I think people who say "I couldn't care less" really mean they could care less. People have an amazing ability (actually pretty unique) to care less. Like Jell-o, there's always room for more, er less.

People who actually couldn't care less, wouldn't even take the time to say so.

 

[meyers7]

I could care less if I chose to do so.

Exactly.

 

[Zorro]

My most recent beef is that everything is IMPORTANT and AMAZING and SPECTACULAR or STUNNING. Watch the evening news, any network. The first five stories will be BREAKING NEWS! even if it happened yesterday.

Words are starting to lose their meaning.

Awesome post, Nan!

 

[OldAlum]

I think " I could care less" just needs the sarcasm font. (we have one of those, don't we?)

I always interpreted this as a sarcastic statement, or with the "As if" preceding it implied.

 

[Aluminny69]

Etymologists suggest that “I could care less” emerged as a sarcastic variant employing Yiddish humor. They point to the different intonations used in saying “I couldn’t care less” versus “I could care less.” The latter mirrors the intonation of the sarcastic Yiddish-English phrase “I should be so lucky!” where the verb is stressed.


The argument of logic falls apart when you consider the fact that both these phrases are idioms. In English, along with other languages, idioms are not required to follow logic, and to point out the lack of logic in one idiom and not all idioms is…illogical. Take the expression “head over heels,” which makes far less sense than the expression “heels over head” when you think about the physics of a somersault. It turns out “heels over head” entered English around 1400, over 250 years before “head over heels,” however, the “logical” version of this idiom has not been in popular usage since the late Victorian era.

 

[reno tony]

When does pre-season start?

 

[uconnfan68]

My most recent beef is that everything is IMPORTANT and AMAZING and SPECTACULAR or STUNNING. Watch the evening news, any network. The first five stories will be BREAKING NEWS! even if it happened yesterday.

Words are starting to lose their meaning.

And YUGE and terrific.

 

[Kibitzer]

When does pre-season start?

In about 155 days, during World Series, football season underway, WNBA done, Olympics are history. Interludes for US Opens (tennis and golf), Wimbledon, Belmont and NASCAR. Here on the Boneyard we have Megan Walker rumors, Stewie-Morgan-Moriah updates, medical reports about Pheese and Lou, intro of Rosemary's replacement (and Kerith's), and endless speculation about Camara's correct height.

WHEW! What did I miss?

 

[bags27]

Occasionally, posters say make this statement ("I could care less") when they really mean to say, "I couldn't care less." Think about it.
Another. "Unique" is an absolute modifier. "A number one, top of the heap." One (un-) of a kind. End of the line. Like top, bottom, first, last, best, worst, most, least, etc. I'm sure you get the idea.
No qualifying modifier is needed; e.g., "pretty unique" or "rather unique." It's wise to avoid these usages.
It's not a grammatical sin to slip in a "very" in front of some of the modifiers cited above, for emphasis ("very least" is OK), but not before "unique." That's what makes it, well, unique.

Impossible to underestimate the importance of these observations.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Tiger Woods was perhaps the worst offender of this phrase.

 

[bags27]

Tiger Woods was perhaps the worst offender of this phrase.

But then you misunderestimate our 43rd president.

 

[pepband99]

At the end of the day, I could care less, because it's a loosing battle (another pet peeve - I usually respond with "loosening?")

 

[Sonny44]