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 Couldn't Care Less- A Rant 
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Pokemon Ranger
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In this post, I will rant about a very pointless petpeeve of mine. It concerns a very insignificant error many, MANY people are inclined to make, so if you are inclined to flame/troll easier, stop reading now.

The phrase "I could care less" has become a very common phrase used to express your lack of interest in an aforementioned topic. However, the phrase makes no sense. Let us consult the Care-O-Meter, which shows how much one cares on a scale of 0-10.

Max Care

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Absolutely Zero Caring


Now, by using the phrase "I could care less," the point you are trying to make is that you don't care whatsoever. In terms of the Care-O-Meter, you are trying to express that you are at Absolute Zero Caring. However, if you could care less, you cannot be at Absolute Zero Caring, as there must be a level below you're current level of caring for you to be able to care less than you currently do. If you could care less, you could theoretically be at point Max Care, since from that point you could care less.

Now, the correct phrase to express NO INTEREST is "I couldn't care less." If you could not care less, then you are Absolute Zero Caring. You CAN NOT care less than you currently do. Absolute Zero Caring.

I could care less : WRONG
I couldn't care less: RIGHT

If you could care less, than do it.

/rant.

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Wed May 19, 2010 7:02 pm
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Dragon Tamer
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I completely agree with you, and have made similar arguments in other places.

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Thu May 20, 2010 3:28 am
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Ace Trainer
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This also applies to the wonderful word, decimated. Look at it carefully for a minute.

Now here's a sample phrase that people use with it. "They utterly decimated that entire armada!"

Can anyone tell me what's wrong with that phrase?

(waits for reply, then remembers that we're on a forum) If you don't know enough Latin, deci- the prefix means one-tenth. A.k.a. if you truly decimate an armada, it's only down one-tenth in size.

So why do people use it incorrectly? Either they don't know the error from the Latin, or they just think it's a cool synonym for destruction.

These are some of the things that we could think about just a little more before saying them...

AEPMT :mrgreen: ;) 8-)

P.S.: Ever noticed how the English language is really strange? Like driving on a parkway yet parking on a driveway?

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Thu May 20, 2010 8:52 am
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Pokemon Master
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"I could care less" implies that you are somewhere on the "Care-O-Meter" which is usually at like a one or two. So when you say "I could care less" it implies that you can go down. "I couldn't care less" implies that you are at absolute zero, or that you absolutely love something and nothing could make you care less about it.

Also to decimate means to cut down to one tenth, not the other way around. When you say "the armada was decimated" it was cut down to a tenth of its original since, not cut down a tenth so it would be nine tenths less. Decimate also means that it has been cut down to an infinitesimal number to where it is unrecognizable.

Also its not that the English language is strange its just the language itself has so many contradictions and such. Besides language is just something you want it to be. To some people they could call a pen a flashlight and vice versa.

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Thu May 20, 2010 10:39 am
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your silly xD




FIST OF THE NORTH STAR IN YOUR FACE

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Sun May 23, 2010 2:49 am
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Pokemon Ranger
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shinashu taji wrote:
Also to decimate means to cut down to one tenth, not the other way around. When you say "the armada was decimated" it was cut down to a tenth of its original since, not cut down a tenth so it would be nine tenths less. Decimate also means that it has been cut down to an infinitesimal number to where it is unrecognizable.


One rant at a time.

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Sun May 23, 2010 3:35 pm
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Gym Leader
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I hear and understand this rant, so if you want to complain about and contain the structure of our language, I whole-heartedly support this futile effort. Despite the way of our language will ultimately take form of what's most popular, I still support the fight that database should be datumbase, because an adjective never takes the plural form to describe a noun in English. However, "I couldn't care less," isn't necessarily the original instance of the idiom without evidence.

The best place to check would be the Oxford English Dictionary, 1989.


Wed May 26, 2010 1:40 am
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