Could [not] care less
Nov. 13th, 2008 06:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sobriqueOK, listen up.
I've seen a few too many places recently, using the phrase 'I could care less'.
It irritates me, especially in books where they should know better. (Empyryan age, I'm looking at you).
Here's the thing.
'I could care less' doesn't even remotely mean 'I could not care less'. There is a 'not' in there, which logically inverts the meaning.
I could care less, implies that you care some - not necessarily a lot, but some and therefore there's a possiblity of reducing how much you care. So you don't get to call it sarcasm, either. It would be sarcastic to say something like "I really care". The implicit apathy in 'I could care less' doesn't count.
Here's a lovely illustration (from: http://incompetech.com/gallimaufry/care_less.html)
So will you kindly get it right?
I've seen a few too many places recently, using the phrase 'I could care less'.
It irritates me, especially in books where they should know better. (Empyryan age, I'm looking at you).
Here's the thing.
'I could care less' doesn't even remotely mean 'I could not care less'. There is a 'not' in there, which logically inverts the meaning.
I could care less, implies that you care some - not necessarily a lot, but some and therefore there's a possiblity of reducing how much you care. So you don't get to call it sarcasm, either. It would be sarcastic to say something like "I really care". The implicit apathy in 'I could care less' doesn't count.
Here's a lovely illustration (from: http://incompetech.com/gallimaufry/care_less.html)
So will you kindly get it right?
