Is the phrase I couldnt care less or I could care less?

“Couldn’t care less” and “could care less” are both used to mean someone doesn’t care at all, but English teachers and grammarians will say that only “couldn’t care less” is correct, so that is what you should use in formal or academic writing.

How do you say I don’t care in British?

What did I do? In American ‘I don’t care’ means I’m happy with either possibility. You can decide because I like both alternatives. If we say ‘I don’t care’ in British English, it means we’re apathetic – we’re not interested.

Is I could care less sarcasm?

People might not have any thought of sarcasm, positive/negative phrase pairs, or implied comparison when they use “I could care less,” but when they use it, it’s as a set idiom, something they’ve heard before and learned as a unit.

Is it wrong to care less?

Correct Usage: Either Both could and couldn’t care less are informal, and so you are unlikely to use either one in formal writing. If you have need of using it in some other context, and would like to avoid alienating some portion of your audience you should stick with couldn’t care less.

Have your cake and eat it meaning?

: to have or enjoy the good parts of something without having or dealing with the bad parts They seem to think they can have their cake and eat it too by having excellent schools for their son without paying high taxes.

Why do Americans say could care less?

In the early 1990s, the well-known Harvard professor and language writer Stephen Pinker argued that the way most people say “could care less”—the way they emphasize the words—implies they are being ironic or sarcastic along the lines of the Yiddish phrases like “I should be so lucky!” which typically means the speaker …

Is it rude to say you dont care?

You might think you’re being easygoing and polite when you say “I don’t care.” Actually, you’re not. Not caring is an action, not a statement. It’s something you show through complete disregard. The things you don’t think about, talk about or look at — those are the things you don’t care about.

Why do people say could care less when they mean couldn’t care less?

If a person says, “I couldn’t care less” about something, it means that the amount of care and concern they have about something could not be any less, any lower. This makes sense. Therefore when someone says I could care less, it should mean the opposite, that they are concerned.

What is a word for couldn’t care less?

apathetic. neutral. not give a tinker’s damn. unconcerned. uninterested.

Have your cake and eat it or eat your cake and have it?

It means you can’t eat a cake and continue to possess that cake once you’ve consumed it. The use of the phrase, therefore, is to tell someone that they can’t have two good things that don’t normally go together at the same time, like eating a cake and then continuing to possess that same cake so you can eat later.

What is the meaning of helm of affairs?

In charge, in command, as in With Charles at the helm, the company is bound to prosper. This phrase transfers the idea of steering a ship to directing other enterprises. [Early 1500s] Also see the synonym at the wheel.

What does it mean if you could care less?

or could care less. phrase. If you say that you couldn’t care less about someone or something, you are emphasizing that you are not interested in them or worried about them. You can also say that you could care less, with the same meaning.

What does “I could care less” mean?

The person who says “I could care less” is, on the face of it, stating “Yes, it would be possible for me to care less deeply about this matter than I do, and therefore I am betraying some unspecified degree of care.”

Where did the phrase “couldn’t care less” come from?

While it may indeed have come from the United Kingdom, there is clear evidence that couldn’t care less was in use prior to the 1940s. Exasperated, she jumped up. ”I couldn’t care less,” she said, “whether you come or go.” ”I couldn’t care less,” said the hawklike man, “if you were Queen of the May.

Should I use could or couldn’t care less in formal writing?

Both could and couldn’t care less are informal, and so you are unlikely to use either one in formal writing. If you have need of using it in some other context, and would like to avoid alienating some portion of your audience you should stick with couldn’t care less.

What do the British really mean by I’ll bear it in mind?

I’ll Bear It In Mind. . . What Americans Think It Means: I’ve just made an excellent point. What The British Really Mean: I’ve forgotten the idea already. The British are only kindly trying to tell you that a change of subject is desperately in order.