When people say "I couldn't care less" there is always someone who says "lolo, actually, it's "i COULD care less, newb".

I can't imagine any reason why that would be correct, but the correction seems omnipresent. There is nothing incorrect about saying "I couldn't care less", it means your caring is already at 0, which is typically the intent.

So plz stop with these false corrections, thx. :)

I wouldnt say it

I hate that they corrected you when they very damn well knew what you were saying. I hate hair splitters. pompous asses, the lot of them.

I usually just say..........I could give a shit ...

yea im with orleander there lol.

I hate that they corrected you when they very damn well knew what you were saying. I hate hair splitters. pompous asses, the lot of them.

I couldn't agree more.:p

When people say "I couldn't care less" there is always someone who says "lolo, actually, it's "i COULD care less, newb".

I can't imagine any reason why that would be correct, but the correction seems omnipresent. There is nothing incorrect about saying "I couldn't care less", it means your caring is already at 0, which is typically the intent.

So plz stop with these false corrections, thx. :)

Yeah, anyone who says "I could care less" is wrong. However, I've usually seen it work the other way. I.e., somewhere along the line, the correct phrase got corrupted, and lots of people started saying "I could care less," which doesn't make any sense. Then the smart-alecs caught on to this and started correcting them. Somehow, you've managed to hang out in company where this got twisted backwards...

If I couldn't care less, then I'm telling you I'm already at the minimum that I could care about whatever it is you said. I could care less implies that you may actually care quite a bit, albeit at an unspecified level.

What the hell. I don't give a rats ass... or do I...? :confused:

If someone wins an award for some movie they were in "I could care less". Many things that are happening in the world today that this saying is very good for.

If someone wins an award for some movie they were in "I could care less". Many things that are happening in the world today that this saying is very good for.
No, no no! Stop the madness!

I couldn't care less. :)

It depends on whether you want to be straighforward or sarcastic. "Couldn't care less" means what it says while "could care less" is usually meant sarcastically.

If you want the American Heritage Dictionary explanation:
http://www.bartleby.com/64/C003/078.html

Interesting explanation. I find the sarcasm in "I could care less" to be too subtle for my tastes. And I think it's just plain wrong. That explanation is just a cover-up for all of the weenies out there who screw it up.

How about instead, ''I couldn't give two flying mexican monkeys?''

or, ''couldn't give a rat's arse.''

Or simply... ''Can't be fucked?''

How about instead, ''I couldn't give two flying mexican monkeys?''

or, ''couldn't give a rat's arse.''

Or simply... ''Can't be fucked?''

Oooo, I'm gonna have to remember those. I don't think Peta has heard them yet. LOVE the mexican monkey one.

I already did the rats arse one:


What the hell. I don't give a rats ass... or do I...?

Or, ''i couldn't care less other than the time you made me waste thinking about it.''

I could care less but can't be bothered.

:)
Sweet

I couldn't care less than I do now.

I'm at the lowest level of caring.

Newbs

I always thought "I could care less" was an Americanism. The civilised world says "I couldn't care less."

But the Americans may have a point, depending on how you read it.

"I couldn't care less."

is generally taken to mean "My care factor is already at its lowest possible level. So, it would be impossible to care less."

"I could care less."

This COULD be taken as an ironic statement, saying "Hypothetically, it would be possible for me to care less, but in this world caring less would just be extra effort, so I'll be lazy and maintain my current level of care-lessness."

Or, it could just be that Americans don't know what they're saying. Given their generally low capacity for irony, I suggest this is the likely explanation for most.

I'd agree.

Interesting explanation. I find the sarcasm in "I could care less" to be too subtle for my tastes. And I think it's just plain wrong. That explanation is just a cover-up for all of the weenies out there who screw it up.I first started hearing "I could care less" in the 1960s. It was definitely meant as sarcasm and it wasn't subtle. It was enunciated rather slowly with extreme pitch dynamics. The whole phrase took about two seconds. "Care" was especially elongated with a markedly rising pitch, and then "less" came in at a much lower pitch. It became so popular that people forgot its literal meaning, lost the dynamics, and ended up saying the exact opposite of what they meant. And everybody thought it was correct.

This is one of the many ways language evolves. Check out the etymology of the word "flammable."

This is one of the many ways language evolves. Check out the etymology of the word "flammable."
Ok.

Etymology: 19c: from Latin flammare to blaze.

I assume we're referring to this:

These mean the same thing; inflammable is not the opposite of flammable, it is simply a version of it preferred in everyday, non-technical contexts.

When I was younger, I thought inflammable meant not flammable, the same way that inconcievable means not concievable and inconsequential means not of any consequence, or...

- inconsolable
- inappropriate

etc.

I understand that inflammable means "can be inflamed" Yes?

What's up with that fraggle?

Given their generally low capacity for irony, I suggest this is the likely explanation for most.
Does it always have to come down to this?

Tsk, tsk.

Does it always have to come down to this?

Ironic, isn't it?

Ironic, isn't it?
What? That I, being an american, don't recognize the clear irony in your statements?

Yes, it is.

Etymology: 19c: from Latin flammare to blaze.Interesting. I was taught that historically there was actually no such word as "flammable" and that it was made up in the 1950s.
These mean the same thing; inflammable is not the opposite of flammable, it is simply a version of it preferred in everyday, non-technical contexts. When I was younger, I thought inflammable meant not flammable.Yes, that's the point. Gasoline tanker trucks used to have the word INFLAMMABLE emblazoned on them in truck-high letters. Believe it or not, the first generation of Safety Nannies in the 1950s thought Americans were so stupid that they wouldSee a tanker truck with the name of a gasoline company on it, that smelled like gasoline if you got close See the word "inflammable" in giant red letters Say to themselves, "Hmm. If that truck were carrying something dangerous, there'd be no need to put a warning label on it the size of Kansas. They must be warning me that the contents of that truck are NOT dangerous. That's sure logical. After all, "inflammable" starts with in-, and in- always means "not," just like it does in inbred, income, indoor, inflate, ingrained, inlet, innovation, input, inroad, insight... and intelligence, which I have a lot of. Therefore, "inflammable" must mean "not flammable." I've never seen or heard the word "flammable," but it must have something to do with fire. [Maybe it was in the dictionary but nobody ever used it.] So those thoughtful people are telling me that this Shell Oil truck in front of me is full of milk. I think I'll just go ahead and crash into it then.
I understand that inflammable means "can be inflamed" Yes?Yes. And I don't quite grasp the Latin word flammabile. Flammare is an intransitive verb, which normally would not be allowed to take the -bile suffix because it's not a logical construction.