Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2025-05-10
Would this count? I’m not sure; I just learned about eggcorns today. Either way, it’s a huge pet peeve of mine when someone says
“I could care less about that.”
This would mean that you do, indeed care. The correct phrase would obviously be
“I couldn’t care less about that.”
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Most people who repeat this cliche do not understand it, but:
Imagine, say, Woody Allen’s old maiden aunt, speaking in a Lower East Side accent, cynically asking, “I could care less…??” (“Oy couwd ca-ah less..??”) She is referring to the expression, “I couldn’t care less.” And she knows what she refers to.
That is the origin of, “I could care less.” It is supposed to be a question. And it works that way.
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Hey, dirtygreek! (kalemera!) – I found a discussion of your “could care less” in another part of this web site. It is a place called “malapropisms and so on”, or something like that. But I can’t find it anymore. If you search around, though, you will find it, and it has eight or nine learned replies. Kale teke! (I am trying to say Good Luck in Greek without Greek letters.)
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Here are the two main threads on which this has been discussed here:
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=211
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum/view … hp?pid=501
The first one’s longer, and is a bit more illuminating. I recommend going over to Language Log, punching “could care less” into their search engine, and exploring the amazing number of hits you’ll bring up.
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