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COULD CARE LESS, OR COULDN"T ?

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saturn5man   0

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Can someone enlighten me as to why Americans almost always say I could care less when they really mean couldn't ?

To be correct, if one could care less, then there is an implication that one cares at least something (about the topic being discussed etc).

To say one couldn't care less means that one is totally disinterested and one doesn't care at all.

Has could care less always been used (in the context of couldn't) here in the US, or is it a modern phenomenon?

Just a little peeve.

Hopefully this will generate some debate away from the more fiery Off Topic discussions in VJ of late.....But, then again...... :whistle:

Best wishes to all.....Neil.

Neil (Preston, England) & Eva (North Carolina, USA)

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I am not a Lawyer and have never wanted or professed to be one. The views and comments I may express here are entirely my own and without any intended legal standing.

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Ban Hammer Grand Master

Ban Hammer   13,346

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It is an Americanism.

Could care less (US) = Couldn't care less (UK)

actually, "couldn't care less" is the appropriate phrase. i remember a long lecture from my mom (she was a teacher) about that when i was younger :blush:

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peejay Mentor

peejay   327

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Would it be more appropriate to say, "I don't give a rat's *ss."?

Welcome to America. Enjoy! ;)

"Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave."

"...for the system to be credible, people actually have to be deported at the end of the process."

US Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (D-TX)

Testimony to the House Immigration Subcommittee, February 24, 1995

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cmartyn Rising Star

cmartyn   0

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Could care less is just a bad contraction. It just happens that the contraction changes the meaning in a binary way :-) Could care less was also prevelant in Canada when I was there.

Never stopped anyone before.

What I find facinating is the way many Americans make a point out of discussing every language oddity. Like when you say PRO cess instead of Prawcess.. That will make a room light up with giggles.. HAHAHAHA You said PROCESS... Uh Hun & Your point?

Well, we say PRAWCES..

Yes, I noticed that two years ago when I moved here... Interesting. Moving on...

Or Candy Floss instead of Cotton Candy.. Its like you swore or something. Candy Floss, whats that? Canadian? Ummm No, I thik its a brand name for that pink fluffy stuff you get at the fair on a stick. OH You mean cotton candy! Yeah I guess so.. whatever..

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saturn5man Explorer

saturn5man   0

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Would it be more appropriate to say, "I don't give a rat's *ss."?

Welcome to America. Enjoy! ;)

I like that one ! :lol:

Neil (Preston, England) & Eva (North Carolina, USA)

27 September 2003 Church Wedding, England.

8 October 2004 -INTERVIEW---VISA GRANTED !!!

(Intervening time covered in VJ -Timeline Section)

10 Dec 2004 - Saturn finally came out of orbit and landed in NC !

(Check timeline for intervening period)

8th February 2006 - 'GREEN CARD' FINALLY GRANTED AT INTERVIEW IN CHARLOTTE, NC.

5th Wedding Anniversary due later this year, on 27th September 2008 - How time flies !

I am not a Lawyer and have never wanted or professed to be one. The views and comments I may express here are entirely my own and without any intended legal standing.

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mrc Proficient

mrc   0

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It is an Americanism.

Could care less (US) = Couldn't care less (UK)

B.S. It's not an American thing. I don't say "could care less"...It's a bad grammar thing.

The same people that say it are probably the same people that spell spell ridiculous like this: rediculous

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Hilarious Clinton Grand Master

Hilarious Clinton   452

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To say one couldn't care less means that one is totally disinterested and one doesn't care at all.

'couldn't care less' is a double negative. it means I 'could care'

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies."

Senator Barack Obama
Senate Floor Speech on Public Debt
March 16, 2006



barack-cowboy-hat.jpg
90f.JPG

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gimygirl Proficient

gimygirl   0

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To say one couldn't care less means that one is totally disinterested and one doesn't care at all.

'couldn't care less' is a double negative. it means I 'could care'

you're wrong .... i know it's a shock but you'll recover. i'll REpost my earlier pic:

caring.png

line_bar_12d.gifline_bar_12d.gif

Music___Lennon___Imagine_by_jjjean6.png

Faith: not wanting to know what is true.~Nietzsche~

“The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.”

~Winston Churchill~

text___just_be_animated_colour_by_j.gif

line_bar_12d.gifline_bar_12d.gif

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Elizabethnhenry Proficient

Elizabethnhenry   0

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caring.png

:lol: ding ding ding

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Hilarious Clinton Grand Master

Hilarious Clinton   452

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To say one couldn't care less means that one is totally disinterested and one doesn't care at all.

'couldn't care less' is a double negative. it means I 'could care'

you're wrong .... i know it's a shock but you'll recover. i'll REpost my earlier pic:

caring.png

I saw that. I still think it's a double negative.

Why do people in UK (among other places) drop 'the' in :

I am going to hospital.

versus..

I am going to the hospital.

Too lazy to say 'the'?

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies."

Senator Barack Obama
Senate Floor Speech on Public Debt
March 16, 2006



barack-cowboy-hat.jpg
90f.JPG

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Elizabethnhenry Proficient

Elizabethnhenry   0

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It is an Americanism.

Could care less (US) = Couldn't care less (UK)

B.S. It's not an American thing. I don't say "could care less"...It's a bad grammar thing.

The same people that say it are probably the same people that spell spell ridiculous like this: rediculous

:yes:

and the same ones spell definitely like this: definately (my boss does that - drives me nuts!)

AOS, EAD - 115 days from mailing AOS to conditional Green Card in Hand

06-07-08 - File to remove conditions

4/28/09 - Moved to CSC

06-20-09- Received 10 year Greencard

Citizenship

07-09-09 - Filed N-400

Joel 2:25 (Amplified Bible) And I will restore or replace for you the years that the locust has eaten--the hopping locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust, My great army which I sent among you.

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