I was just enjoying the book "A rising thunder" by David Weber when I came across the phrase "I could care less" (page 448 of the BAEN hardback), meaning in its context: "I could not care less" i.e. there is no lesser degree of care that I could hold.
I would have thought that even though the phrase may be common usage in the U.S. an author would add the correct phrase. This just jars.
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Wednesday, May 02, 2012
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Item 2 here: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=I%20could%20care%20less sums it up. I know its an old issue.
ReplyDeleteMagic. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2010/may/20/language-usa
ReplyDeleteI found this also: http://articles.boston.com/2010-10-24/lifestyle/29303907_1_care-peeves-decades
ReplyDeleteI disagree. Many colloquial English phrases are sarcastic, and this is one of them. The phrase “I could care less” makes perfect sense if said, as it usually is, with a sarcastic tone and a roll of the eyes. In fact its sarcasm is often pointed out by preceding it with: “Oh, yeah, like I COULD CARE LESS.” The speaker is saying, “how ridiculous it is that you think that I could care any less than I already do!” And so, just like they would say, “Oh, yeah, I really LOVE Windows” or “Oracle cares SO MUCH about Open Source,” they say, “Oh, yeah, I could CARE LESS” when of course really they can't.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure why all of these tone-deaf guides to English assume that the common, sarcastic version of a phrase cannot appear in print, and insist on the dead-literal unusual version of the phrase instead.
Hi Brandon, although I'll grant that there may well be a sarcastic meaning, but it is not used sarcastically - just explained as such by its apologists when the more aware point out how stupid it is logically. As a rearguard action the explanation may save some face but doesn't fool anyone - including those who use the explanation.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shawn. I had read that article and liked its examples of other, older "pet peeves".
ReplyDelete