26
   

"I COULD care less" or "I COULDN'T care less" Which is it?

 
 
Cyracuz
 
  1  
Reply Mon 7 May, 2012 12:16 am
At this point you guys might get more out of putting on some boxing gloves.... Very Happy
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Mon 7 May, 2012 12:21 am
@Cyracuz,
Its not worth it. I don 't wanna fight with a crazy man.





David
Cyracuz
 
  1  
Reply Mon 7 May, 2012 12:27 am
@OmSigDAVID,
But you are already fighting...
But I don't think JTT is crazy. I think his opinions of language are based on different aspects of it than my own. I argued from a standpoint of grammatical and logical linguistic functions, while he argued from a standpoint of cultural and social influences. When I realized this I understood that our discussion had become as resolved as we can hope it to become, so I see no further need to discuss it.

Hopefully, JTT we will argue again, over other issues.
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Mon 7 May, 2012 12:47 am
@Cyracuz,
I have found his mental processes to be hopelessly disorganized.
Cyracuz
 
  1  
Reply Mon 7 May, 2012 01:02 am
@OmSigDAVID,
My impression is that this is fairly common, perhaps so common that it is the norm. Can't call that crazy..
0 Replies
 
StormyMcCloud
 
  1  
Reply Wed 6 Jun, 2012 09:43 pm
@kickycan,
"I could care less" reminds the listener of your human compassion as an American. You are essentially telling him or her, "as you can tell from my clearly stated opinion, I do not care very much at all about this subject I am referring to. However, let us never forget that--if I wanted to--I could care even less." As we are sometimes prone to speak in hyperbole, e.g. "people who park crooked like that should be disembowelled and set on fire" (when a jail term would obviously suffice, given the spectre of rape), "I could care less" is an institutional phrase that compels us to remember our power must be tempered with mercy, which is expressed in the form of restrained indifference. Just as there is no real limit to justice/revenge beyond the constructs of liberal rhetoric, apathy is an abyss that must be skirted prudently. Without care, one could, without realizing it, become so indifferent to a subject that he or she neglects to even opine about it. On a large scale, this would threaten the core dynamic of what it is to be American: the unstoppable force of limitless guidance checked only by the immovable object of absolute unreceptivity to the guidance of others. "I could care less" is an enshrinement of self-discipline.

"I could care less but will not, for to care any less would render this subject unworthy of my spoken opinion."
--George Washington
0 Replies
 
JTT
 
  1  
Reply Sun 21 Oct, 2012 11:09 am
http://able2know.org/topic/199238-5#post-5142919
Post: # 5,142,919

H2oman:
Quote:
As president, has Obama ever admitted to being wrong about anything?


Quote:
I believe Obama has admitted he was wrong when he thought he could get the GOP to compromise and do something for the good of the US. He now realizes they could care less about the country.


No less an American than Parados has used this completely natural collocation, found in bold, above.

0 Replies
 
JTT
 
  1  
Reply Sun 21 Oct, 2012 11:20 am
@OmSigDAVID,
jtt wrote:
Quote:
You're awfully thick, Om.


OmSig replied:
Quote:
There is that alien thing again.
Americans r less likely to use that choice of words.


Google Advance Search - Exact Phrase - US region only

"you are really thick"

About 491,000 results

-------------------

You are a dictionary definition of 'ignorant' when it comes to describing how language is used, Dave. But keeping parading your ignorance on these pages. It can be highly instructive to second language learners to see that native speakers do no have a good grasp of the workings of the very language they speak.
0 Replies
 
Berty McJock
 
  1  
Reply Mon 25 Feb, 2013 07:06 pm
a personal favourite of mine, and i have no idea where it comes from, is "i couldn't give a flying rats arse".

but you probably COULDN'T care less.
Frank Apisa
 
  2  
Reply Wed 27 Feb, 2013 02:32 pm
I could care less which one you use...or that using the one you don't bothers you. Said another way: For me it is six of one, a dozen of the other.

(Hey, if it gets Kicky back!)
JTT
 
  0  
Reply Mon 22 Apr, 2013 08:37 pm
@Frank Apisa,
Congratulations, Frank, on your thoughtful and accurate portrayal of language.
0 Replies
 
JTT
 
  0  
Reply Mon 22 Apr, 2013 08:38 pm
Quote:
I could care less about words


A highly intelligent gentleman, at,

http://able2know.org/topic/212731-3#post-5309904
0 Replies
 
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Thu 2 May, 2013 01:11 pm
@Berty McJock,
Berty McJock wrote:

a personal favourite of mine, and i have no idea where it comes from, is "i couldn't give a flying rats arse".

but you probably COULDN'T care less.
Some time ago, I saw 2 winged insects connected
together on a table outside. I brushed them off n thay
flew away, still joined. I think that thay gave a flying ****.
0 Replies
 
 

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