momto10blessings Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Does everyone use this phrase now? It drives me nuts!! If you could care less then why are you even mentioning it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I say 'I couldn't care less'. That's what I grew up hearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 It bugs me because it is really supposed to be "I couldn't care less." But I say it sometimes! I tend to prefer "I don't give a rat's patoot" but that doesn't go over well in all circles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I generally say, "I couldn't care less." Because that makes sense to me. It's also how I always heard it growing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 The phrase is supposed to be, "I couldn't care less." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 The phrase is supposed to be, "I couldn't care less." Exactly. So why is everyone saying "I could care less"???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Exactly. So why is everyone saying "I could care less"???? They pick it up before they are old enough to demand logic and good grammar in smarta$$ phrases. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I can't hear that without thinking of Weird Al's 'Word Crimes'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Like my 7yo says "pretty much" pretty much every time she pauses. I'm pretty tired of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I think it's probably something to do with the two hard "c" sounds in a row and the difficulty in putting that "nt" in there. It flows better without it on the tongue. Since many people don't think about what they're saying, I think at some point the "n't" just got dropped and people heard it that way and thought that must be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Didn't Wilbur the pig have something to say about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 I can't hear that without thinking of Weird Al's 'Word Crimes'. I have to check that out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I have seen people say "I care less" also. A little careless but.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I'll add... it sort of bugs me too. But I also think it's one of those phrases that maybe has just changed to some extent. I mean, even if it's "wrong" I can't control if people say it wrong and if everyone says it wrong, then eventually the meaning of the phrase will be different. How many phrases out there make no sense on their face and have been strangely changed around over the years? This could be destined to be one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 So really it's "I could' care less." Kinda like "where ya goin'." Now, why do people say 'kinda'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Drives me nuts as well. I don't think people realize what they are actually saying vs what they mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 This one really bugs me. I hear it often and see it online quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Meh. Consider it a colloquialism and ignore it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 The one that gets me is "unthaw." There's already a word for "unthaw," it's "freeze" :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 It bugs me because it is really supposed to be "I couldn't care less." But I say it sometimes! I tend to prefer "I don't give a rat's patoot" but that doesn't go over well in all circles. It goes over better when you say "rat's patootie." :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 "I could care less" really bothers me. It's incorrect in most contexts. I took my boys to watch Guardians of the Galaxy. Quill said, " I could care less" when he meant "I couldn't care less". *cringe* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Does everyone use this phrase now? It drives me nuts!! If you could care less then why are you even mentioning it?? It drives me nuts too. I honestly think people who use it do not realize the correct phrase is "I could NOT care less". such is the lousy grammar. I was on a writer's group that would occasionally post a list of "pet peeves" after someone had been provoked elsewhere. the wrong homonym, antonym, etc. their motto was "spell check is not your friend". eta: I will tell my kids what they want is irrelevant - they still have to do whatever they were asked to do that they are complaining about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Because it is possible they could care less than they are currently caring? LOL This deserves very visible likes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I know full well than it's "I couldn't care less," but I say both. I frankly think "I could care less," which is, after all, easier to say, has a nice, mysterious ring to it. And I could care less what you think about it! :) What annoys me is books (much less web postings) that say "better" without the "had," as in "You better eat your corn on the cob! There's good protein in there!" Or, worse still, "I better figure out these grammer curriculums before the school year ends -- oops!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Drives me nuts. I am not sure how I refrain from correcting people who say that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I have to stop and think when I use this phrase to make sure I'm saying it correctly. I consider myself to be fairly well-spoken, and I certainly know the difference in meaning between using 'could' and 'couldn't'. Alas, force of habit has a way of overriding logic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I tend to prefer "I don't give a rat's patoot" but that doesn't go over well in all circles. Don't I know it. :glare: Curse those hoity-toity, namby-pamby friends of ours! :D (Do I get extra points for using hoity-toity and namby-pamby in the same sentence?) It goes over better when you say "rat's patootie." :lol: Well, of course it does, because it's more formal. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 The one that gets me is "unthaw." There's already a word for "unthaw," it's "freeze" :rolleyes: My dh says that. And, he actually means "thaw"! He also says "ordeal," instead of "deal," though it could still fit. So, " Why does Bob have to make a big ordeal about the air conditioner?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Does everyone use this phrase now? It drives me nuts!! If you could care less then why are you even mentioning it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Perhaps, despite profound apathy, the person feels that if she applied herself she really could care just a little bit less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I'll add... it sort of bugs me too. But I also think it's one of those phrases that maybe has just changed to some extent. I mean, even if it's "wrong" I can't control if people say it wrong and if everyone says it wrong, then eventually the meaning of the phrase will be different. How many phrases out there make no sense on their face and have been strangely changed around over the years? This could be destined to be one of them. This is true of many colloquialisms. I can't remember the phrase now, but I was just thinking of an idiom that made me stop and say, "what does that even mean?" I meant to look it up, but now I forgot what it was. I think sometimes that the simile, "...like a broken record" will be meaningless to my children and subsequent generations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Okay...I'll admit it. Until I read someone else ranting on here about this previously (years ago), I said "I could care less" and I didn't even realize it was wrong! Turns out, that's a phrase that everyone around me uses and I had never really sat down and thought about how silly it is to say that you could care less about something that you obviously don't care about. Lol Since then, I cringe every time I hear someone say it incorrectly. And it's not just in casual conversation, but on tv and in books as well! Funny the things I've learned from the Hive. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I sometimes say "I don't care" when asked which thing I want, etc. Meaning "whatever, I don't have a strong opinion either way". When I am annoyed by a kid's request, this is the response I give, even though I know it doesn't logically answer the request. Ex. "mom, can I eat this fruit snack?" Me: " I don't care!" Why do I say that? It's stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 huh...I've never heard that one... It's extremely common on the rural Plains and intermountain West… Drives me utterly batty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 When I am annoyed by a kid's request, this is the response I give, even though I know it doesn't logically answer the request. Ex. "mom, can I eat this fruit snack?" Me: " I don't care!" Why do I say that? It's stupid. You're a homeschooling mom and don't say "I don't know. Can you?". And then to follow up - "the correct wording is 'may I?'" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 It bugs me because it is really supposed to be "I couldn't care less." But I say it sometimes! I tend to prefer "I don't give a rat's patoot" but that doesn't go over well in all circles. It goes over better when you say "rat's patootie." :lol: I have never heard someone say that so politely. Everyone up here (myself included) usually just say "I don't give a rat's ass". Or we look at the person, shrug and say, "Whatever floats your boat." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 "I don't give a flying fig" works too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 "I don't give a flying fig" works too. How about, "Be quite and stop buggin' me!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 "I could NOT care less." Said to indicate that the other person's concern is at the rock bottom of your "things to care about" list. Rather heartless thing to say, once you think about it. I do remember hearing both "I could care less" and "I couldn't care less" in my youth. Either made me stop and try silently to apply reason, which often meant the person using the phrase was really saying the opposite of what s/he meant to say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 "I could NOT care less." Said to indicate that the other person's concern is at the rock bottom of your "things to care about" list. Rather heartless thing to say, once you think about it. Depends on whom you're saying it to. I've usually seen it come up like this. "You know, The Popular Crowd thinks your orange shoes are weird." "I could not care less what The Popluar Crowd thinks." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Depends on whom you're saying it to. I've usually seen it come up like this. "You know, The Popular Crowd thinks your orange shoes are weird." "I could not care less what The Popluar Crowd thinks." Oh, yes, you are right. That's a positive use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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