Couldn't you care less? I could

Having grown up on a diet of American TV (Magnum PI, Simon and Simon, The A-Team - gosh darnit man I loved those programs) and worked with a Louisiana based business partner, Wendy, for 6 years I think I speak American English just about as well as I speak English English or Irish English. I usually switch seamlessly and automatically between the different modes according to the participants in the dialogue (that's with a 'ue' on the end, right!).

Differences in spelling don't bother me at all and I'm as wont to write ain't as aren't. Various idioms, jargon and lingo don't usually case any turbulence in my life,.... except one..... and it bloody well drives me nuts! And here's Steve Gillmor at it again -

"Everytime I see Jonathan, I try and embarass Noel by complaining, but as Dan Farber says, he probably could care less."

Arrrggghhh!!! That makes no sense Steve, in anyone's language! If someone could care less that means they do actually care. The proper expression is -

"He couldn't care less"

Thanks! Now back to our regular programming.....

Comments

[Conor O'Neill]

Ah to be fair to Steve, that is the closest he has come to forming an entire sentence in English in many years ;-)

Have you seen his James Joyce inspired post on the Attention Operating System at http://blogs.zdnet.com/Gillmor/?p=286 ?

And I quote "In it to win it: Gestribution uber OS"

To use a phrase from a very funny lady I worked with recently "what kind of crack is he smoking?".

He is nothing if not brilliantly entertaining.

[Steve Gillmor]

Nothing if not... hmmm.

[Conor O'Neill]

Glad you liked it Steve. I was hoping that the double negative would annoy James.

What the hell is it with a double negative that it sounds more emphatic than "he is brilliantly entertaining"?

I'd better just stick with coding or gestrifying from now on.

[Richard Rodger]

I could care less about "could care less"! Glad to know I'm not the only one that has sleepless nights over that particular one.