An excellent mass email program

[pauland]

I have never understood why anyone would mention that they care when they are clearly trying to portray they don't. I've even gone as far as searching the Internet (which is never incorrect) and the only answer I can come up with is Americanisation.

"Could care less" is a typical British phrase and it means exactly what it says - the person could not care less - so it's not trying to be clever and imply that the person does care through some clever phraseology. "Could care less" means the person does not care. I guess that one of the common forms of usage of "could care less" omits the "not" and that's where your interest in the phrase comes from.

The very British, tongue in cheek David Mitchell describes my way of thinking way better than I can. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...ature=emb_logo

I like David Mitchell but I am at a loss as to the relevance of the clip. As far as Americanisation goes, I am as British as David Mitchell is, but he does win when it comes to Englishness. He is a lot of fun on a game show called "Would I lie to you?" in the UK and also pops up on many other shows. I would say his style is "posh, clever wordplay" and he is generally a joy to listen to.

I'm not sure if this post helps anyone or not!

Paul (British not American).

[Chris M]

"Could care less" is a typical British phrase and it means exactly what it says - the person could not care less

Here's my dilemma: could care less = couldn't care less???

Mr Mitchell explains the problem at 50 seconds in, including a graph. I don't know the gentleman, nor the show, I just liked the way he explained situation. He also verified my thoughts, so he has to be a good egg

[pauland]

Here's my dilemma: could care less = couldn't care less???

Mr Mitchell explains the problem at 50 seconds in, including a graph. I don't know the gentleman, nor the show, I just liked the way he explained situation. He also vilified my thoughts, so he has to be a good egg

He's having fun with the expression.

In another context it can be used sarcastically to imply that the person does care while denying it, as Mitchell says, but that's not so in all contexts and certainly not true in my usage. While the phrase literally says one thing (that it would be possible to care less because the person does care to some degree), in common usage, with the 'not' missing that's not the meaning but it actually depends on context.

It's a subtle thing but my "could care less" phrase is used in this case to mean "could not care less" and I am unapologetic about it because the exact meaning can be nuanced according to context (and clever contextual wordplay).

[jon404]

Good to see your replies!
First: Gary, Tombstone is alive and well. Even though the Millennials don't know who Wyatt Earp was... since 1881, several other American cities have had far more memorable gunfights. But Hollywood makes movies about ours, happily. Tourism is up with the economy; we are redneck redstate, pretty much, in contrast to nearby Bisbee, which is Calif coast liberal.
You could think of Tombstone as a secret oasis, in the midst of the American mall-ized clutter. We have no stoplights. No fast foods. The cleanest air in the country, being a military no-fly zone, and no polluting industry, either. Pure city water direct from springs high in the Huachuca Mountains, over by the Army fort where the Buffalo Soldiers set out to hunt Apaches, long ago. Had Apache dancers back in town recently... here's one on a map of the area. Imagine these guys coming at you; they terrified the Anglos and Mexicans back when. Anyway... keep us in mind if you want to experience a real true west town... an alive town, not Disneyland, with bright red stagecoaches rattling down our dirt main street, and a few recent gunshot holes in the ceilings of our saloons. The newspapers missed the story on the last one, not reporting that the gunman had a black powder cap-and-ball 1860 Navy Colt revolver, which actually worked... one round in the ceiling of Doc Holliday's, the other in the other fellow's leg. We are officially a Second Amendment city, in an open carry state. Not that any locals wear a gun to town, they are heavy, and your pants might fall down. But out in the nearby Tombstone Hills, where all the silver mines were... if you get bit by a rattler, you have to shoot it and take it with you to the hospital, so as to get the proper king of antivenom. But not much else to use a gun for around here...