Can we talk about people saying 'I could care less' when they mean the opposite?

Heard my neighbor say it again yesterday while complaining about his noisy car. It hit me that the phrase only makes sense if you say 'I couldn't care less', because that means you care zero. How did the wrong version get so common anyway?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jessica8d ago

Actually makes sense as sarcasm to me.

uma_ellis8d ago

Yeah I used to think that too until my friend kept saying it wrong. Had to explain it's "couldn't care less" because if you could care less, you still care some. Once you point out the logic, it clicks for people. Now I just give a quick "you mean couldn't, right?" and move on lol.

kellys788d ago

Disagree about the sarcasm angle. Most people saying it just don't think about the words, they're repeating a common mistake. It's one of those things that's wrong but stuck around.