From the Brickyard | Subject: Let’s clear the air on some grammar confusion
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Alright, let’s settle this once and for all.
If you don’t care about something—like, at all—which is it? “I could care less” or “I couldn’t care less”?
Let’s do the math, brother:
- “I could care less” = You care somewhat, because there’s room for you to care less than you do right now. This means you’re admitting you care… maybe a little, maybe a lot. But you care.
- “I couldn’t care less” = You’ve hit absolute zero caring. No room left. No lower setting. Your “care tank” is bone dry.
So when someone says “I could care less” while they’re trying to act all indifferent, what they’re really saying is, “Yeah, I care… but let me pretend I don’t.”
It’s linguistic self-sabotage, brother.
If you truly don’t give a single damn, it’s “I couldn’t care less.” Full stop.
Brickwall’s rule: If you don’t care one bit, say “I couldn’t care less. Because every time you say “I could care less” when you mean the opposite, a grammar nerd gets their wings…and then uses them to slap you.
Phrase by phrase.
-Brickwall