I couldn't really care less.....

[Kermit power]

but why do Americans say "I could care less" when they mean they couldn't care less? It's absolutely nonsensical.

[deevlash]

because theyre stupid, annoyingly it seems to be creeping in over here too though.

[Simpo Two]

Perhaps they mean they care a bit?

Never heard it myself.

[ctallchris]

Kermit power said:

but why do Americans say "I could care less" when they mean they couldn't care less? It's absolutely nonsensical.

I could care less... but probably not.

Americans hate negative statements because it is a point of contention.

it's a way of saying something that could potentially be quite nasty in the correct context without sounding aggressive.

The n't is almost spitting at the end and is a fairly aggressive and unpleasant sound. Think of another word that i will mention that ends in a t. Words that sound similar tend to pick up similar vibes.

[Parsnip]

I could care less that a load of people think derren brown predicted the lottery. The fact is that i do care a bit, not much, but a bit. So the statement stands.

It is possible for me to care less, but it does bother me slightly that people could be so thick.

[TheEnd]

I can't even say "i could care less" without it sounding awkward.

[Marf]

[GTIR]

Marf said:

Succinct and amusing.

[Defcon]

deevlash said:

Because they're stupid, annoyingly it seems to be creeping in over here too though.

EFA

How come the Aussies get carte blanche to evolve the language and sayings, but the far older country gets picked on constantly for it's dialect?

Edited to make the grammar correction slightly more obvious.

Edited by Defcon on Friday 11th September 23:12

[deevlash]

Defcon said:

deevlash said:

Because they're stupid, annoyingly it seems to be creeping in over here too though.

EFA

How come the Aussies get carte blanche to evolve the language and sayings, but the far older country gets picked on constantly for it's dialect?

Edited to make the grammar correction slightly more obvious.

Maybe because saying "I could care less" is moronic and essentially states nothing other than a misundertsanding of a figure of speech. It's actually devolving the language.
(I put fking apastrophes and capital letters in this time, lest you explode in a fit of tedious rage)

[Defcon]

deevlash said:

Defcon said:

deevlash said:

Because they're stupid, annoyingly it seems to be creeping in over here too though.

EFA

How come the Aussies get carte blanche to evolve the language and sayings, but the far older country gets picked on constantly for it's dialect?

Edited to make the grammar correction slightly more obvious.

Maybe because saying "I could care less" is moronic and essentially states nothing other than a misundertsanding of a figure of speech. It's actually devolving the language.
(I put fking apastrophes and capital letters in this time, lest you explode in a fit of tedious rage)

Expletive!

Its a shame I have to spell this out for people, you must be a foreigner innit...

Think about it, someone is blowing their top, if you couldn't care less, you're expressing the superlative.

Now, If you could care less, you're expressing the pointless fact that you could, in fact, care less. Sarcasm?



If only those stupid people had sayings that made sense, such as "You'd lose your head if it wasn't/weren't screwed on". Then clever people wouldn't judge them purely on idioms.

[deevlash]

Defcon said:

Sarcasm?

sarcasm should be quick and biting, saying "I could care less" isn't sarcasm, its just stupid. Saying "I could care less but I cant be bothered" does have a certain appealing absurdity to it though.

[Defcon]

deevlash said:

Defcon said:

Sarcasm?

sarcasm should be quick and biting, saying "I could care less" isn't sarcasm, its just stupid. Saying "I could care less but I cant be bothered" does have a certain appealing absurdity to it though.

When does sarcasm cross into the boundaries of irony?

I really couldn't care less, but I can see the point of both ways of saying it.

[deevlash]

I think it relies upon the stature of the person saying it, 99% of those saying "I could care less" are just idiots who think theyre saying "I couldn't care less" but have never really thought about the meaning of the actual words they are saying. Therefore 99% of the time the saying is pointless and stupid.

[Zod]

This one annoys me as much as Americans who say "it's not as big of a problem as x."

Why is "of" in there? Why of the fk?

[Defcon]

deevlash said:

I think it relies upon the stature of the person saying it, 99% of those saying "I could care less" are just idiots who think theyre saying "I couldn't care less" but have never really thought about the meaning of the actual words they are saying. Therefore 99% of the time the saying is pointless and stupid.

I agree, to an extent with what you are saying. People who use that phrase aren't thinking about its actual, accurate form. However, I wouldn't call them idiots, at least, any more than I would anyone using an idiom. You're ranting about anyone using a 'localised' saying, the'yre never technically accurate or noble, you wouldn't rant in their face, so I agree with your form of protest. RAGE with all your might deevlash and OP, rant with all your internet might.

Edited by Defcon on Saturday 12th September 00:31

[Papoo]

Zod said:

This one annoys me as much as Americans who say "it's not as big of a problem as x."

Why is "of" in there? Why of the fk?

It is entirely accurate to have "of" incorporated, in the example you provided.

[paddyhasneeds]

I've never quite gotten (there's another ) the Americanism of ending a sentence with "already" such as "Oh just do it already".

There are some Americanisms that I see creeping into everyday use here that I just think "Hmm ok it's the influence of TV/internet" but the "already" one is just bizarre as I don't think you actually here it sufficiently for it to be absorbed subconsciously - and it's a bit weird if people are doing it deliberately.

I'm rambling, enough already!

[SkinnyBoy]

Defcon said:

deevlash said:

Because they're stupid, annoyingly it seems to be creeping in over here too though.

EFA

How come the Aussies get carte blanche to evolve the language and sayings, but the far older country gets picked on constantly for it's dialect?

Edited to make the grammar correction slightly more obvious.

Edited by Defcon on Friday 11th September 23:12

because we still farken have the Queen on our money unlike the yank ungrateful bastids!

flamin hell galah's!

[El Guapo]

Defcon said:

deevlash said:

Because they're stupid, annoyingly it seems to be creeping in over here too though.

EFA

How come the Aussies get carte blanche to evolve the language and sayings, but the far older country gets picked on constantly for its dialect?

Edited to make the grammar correction slightly more obvious.

Edited to finish the job for you.

Edited by El Guapo on Saturday 12th September 21:22