tailbone wrote:Grizlaw wrote:
P.S. As for phrases that everyone says "wrong," the one that really bugs the hell out of me is the debate over whether "I could care less" or "I couldn't care less" is correct. Technically, they're both fine, but I've had know-it-all grammar Nazis try to correct me for using both versions before...
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/care.html
Yeah, that's what the grammar Nazis always say when they want to try to correct someone for saying "I could care less." It's a misunderstanding of the original meaning of the phrase, though...
"I could care less" and "I couldn't care less" actually mean the same thing; you just have to understand how they are used. "I couldn't care less" was the original expression, and it means exactly what it says: I don't care at all, and thus it would be impossible for me to care any less.
"I could care less" is an expression that people started using later on, and it was originally intended to be said sarcastically (not "ironically," as Brian at WSU apparently thinks-- I fail to see the irony, but whatever). The meaning behind "I could care less" is kind of like saying "I
really give a damn," when what you mean is "I don't give a damn."
That's why I said that both phrases are actually OK. Most people have always heard the phrase one way or the other and think that those who say the other are just being careless, but that's not actually the case.
--GL
I work as an attorney so that I can afford good scotch, which helps me to forget that I work as an attorney.
