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Answer by hawkeye for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care...
This matter was considered in detail by XKCD: http://xkcd.com/1576/
View ArticleAnswer by henning for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care...
Both are variants of an idiom expressing the same meaning: I do not care at all. "I could care less" is prevalent in American English, whereas "I could not care less" is prevalent in the UK.Idioms are...
View ArticleAnswer by ZenLogic for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care...
I think this is comparable to "I couldn't care less"- I care so little that I could not possibly care even less than that. "I could care less"- I care quite a lot, but I could choose to care a little...
View ArticleAnswer by painfulenglish for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't...
I think the correct expression is "I could not care less". There are many examples of idioms which are mixed up with other idioms, or simply quoted incorrectly. Most of these don't make any sense, some...
View ArticleAnswer by Bill for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care less"?
One answer that hasn't been mentioned may be the simpler of the solutions to why "I could care less" is the more prevalent variant. It's easier to say. English is full of contractions and...
View ArticleAnswer by TRiG for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care less"?
Don't use Could care less outside of the USA. In the USA it's just one of those things. Language doesn't have to be logical.
View ArticleAnswer by moioci for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care...
One interpretation I haven't seen here yet is that I'm doing it a favor, whatever it is, by caring just a teeny bit, BUT I COULD CARE LESS. So don't push your luck, it.
View ArticleAnswer by Pistos for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care...
I've always thought that the newer "could care less" came about by way of casual pronunciation. Phonemes are dropped: /kʊdnt kɛɹ/ morphs into just /kʊd kɛɹ/. That is, the n and t phonemes are elided....
View ArticleAnswer by iconoclast for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't...
Just to confirm by personal experience what Kip has already pretty well established:I came to the U.S. at 8, and was confused by such things as "I could care less", but I noticed it occurred FAR more...
View ArticleAnswer by Kip for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care less"?
You should feel free to say either variety. "Could care less" actually occurs more frequently. It is an entrenched idiom. No fluent speaker will have any trouble understanding what you mean. The Oxford...
View ArticleAnswer by mipadi for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care...
Originally the expression was "I couldn't care less" which, as you pointed out, makes sense. Over time, this was confused and turned into "I could care less" which, of course, doesn't make sense.
View ArticleAnswer by Skilldrick for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't...
I've heard it said that "could care less" is meant to be ironic, but I think this is just justification for the bastardisation of an English phrase.Here we go (from World Wide Words):There’s a close...
View ArticleAnswer by Edward Tanguay for Which is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't...
I also think "couldn't care less" is the correct form since it is more logical. Perhaps this is a meta issue in that precisely those people who say "could care less" could not indeed care less whether...
View ArticleWhich is correct: "could care less" or "couldn't care less"?
What's the deal with the phrase "could care less"?Whilst growing up, I've always known people (parents etc) to use the phrase "couldn't care less", but I've also come across people who use the phrase...
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