TJC and Stickman,
I used to fully agree with you two--until I learned that the reverse phrase, "I could care less" really is also appropriate.
From a straightforward logical meaning, off course, speakers should say "I couldN'T care less" when they want to be taken literally.
BUT the other phrase, "I could care less" designed to express essentially the same meaning, is fitting when you think of it like the famous Yiddish phrase, "I should be so lucky," which is expressed when speaking about something that would not in any way be regarded as lucky.
Another example, the phrase "head over heels." People (Hey, Valentine's Day is tomorrow) are described as falling, "head over heels in love." Literally, your head is normally around 6 feet over your heels, so how does that phrase suggest any sort of falling? It doesn't. It only has meaning when you understand that, like most idioms, does not make literal sense.
Another way of looking at it: When someone says, "I could care less," it is spoken in a sarcastic manner, meaning the listener is meant to understand the opposite is the truth in the matter.
Ever since I read an article about this, I no longer care--literally--whether someone uses the phrase with or without the "n't". Either way, I understand they mean the same thing.
You're welcome.
Why don't we just shoot 'em down and be through with it?
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