"I could care less" or "I couldn't care less"? I heard both sides of this heated debate....

Question

Please elucidate.

Answer 1

You are trying to imply that you don't care whatsoever about some topic. "I couldn't care less" implies that are at the lowest level of caring. However, "I could care less" implies that you are not at the lowest level, and must care at least a bit.

The answer is "I couldn't care less". The other "I could care less" is an incorrect shortening of the phrase that must have gotten used and reused at some point.

Answer 2

No need to debate.

The ORIGINAL (British) form of the expression is "I couldn't care less", and like others here, it's the one I use. BUT the common U.S. variant "I could care less" is NOT just a simple variant, and not necessarily a mistake.

I confess that for years I dismissed the "could" version as ignorant and illogical. In fact, it IS illogical -- so don't get caught up in various attempts to make good sense of it!

But I seem to have missed the point. The way to make sense of "I could care less" is to recognize that it is SARCASTIC.

One writer, in fact, points out that the way the whole expression differently from the negative form. I can't fully represent it here, so you'll have to look at the link, but I've tried to give the idea below (I've marked the highpoint of the expression with asterisks. In the second version "could" is the lowest, least emphasized part, quite the opposite of "COULDN'T".)

"i *COULDN'T* care LESS". vs. "I could *CARE* less."

http://ling.kgw.tu-berlin.de/lexicography/data/MAVENS.html p. 377
= Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct - How the Mind Creates Language, HarperPerennial, 1995, ch 12


Note - this may well explain the ORIGIN of this variation. That doesn't mean everyone who USES this form actually GETS it that it is supposed to be sarcastic (and so, they may not pronounce it as described above). But it does argue that the "illogic" of the form was originally intentional!

Incidentally, note that those who attempt to make a LOGICAL explanation of this form act as if it were "I COULD care less". But their explanations fall apart when you see that it is NOT pronounced that way.

Compare this with the sarcastic use of "fat chance" (or in a longer form "fat lot of good it will do"). The tone of voice that indicates one means the exact opposite.

But note that even though each expression refers to the same 'basic facts', they are NOT exactly the same (and so cannot be exchanged) because the sarcastic "fat chance" includes an ATTITUDE that's not present in "slim chance". The same is true of "I could/n't care less"

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/fat+chance
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9911d&L=ads-l&F=&S=&P=4982

Answer 3

The only one that makes sense is "I could not care less." In other words, I care so little about this that I could not possibly care any less.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

These appear to say two different things.

1) 'I could care less' implies that you care (I ... care) but you think the matter is so unimportant you could care even less than you do.

2) "I couldn't care less" implies you have no lower level of caring, suggesting you don't care at all.

Answer 6

I couldn't care less, meaning you care the least possible and couldn't care any less.

Answer 7

Gee, if you know what elucidate means, I'd think you could figure out your own question....

Answer 8

look, people, it is 'couldn't'. If you say, "I could care less", it implies that you DO care, and it is possible to care less. However, if you say, "I couldn't care less,", then that says that you don't care at all, and it is totally impossible to care any less.

Does this make sense?

Answer 9

I do like how you used that big word "elucidate." I don't know if it makes me feel ecstatic or ludicrous.

Answer 10

I prefer couldn't. It, to me, sounds better and comes across as more emphatic.