[ExI] You know what?

[Randall Randall]

On Jan 23, 2008, at 12:39 AM, Damien Broderick wrote:
> I suspect the former usage is an appropriation from the black
> underclass, as certainly the latter is. Steve Pinker, to my
> annoyance, defends "could care less" against (ahem) self-righteous
> language poh-leece such as my good self. My working hypothesis is
> that the phrase is derived from swallowing the "n't"--rather as the
> "rua" is elided in the month "Feb-you-ree" (which is now authorized
> in some dictionaries). If I'm right, I'd expect it to be said with
> this stress: "Ah COULD care less" rather than "Ah could care LESS" or
> "Ah could CARE less." Is it?

I think you're right about the derivation, but the stress is
always on the "less" or evenly on "care less", in my experience.

It still means "I don't care".

--
Randall Randall <randall at randallsquared.com>
"This is a fascinating question, right up there with whether rocks
fall because of gravity or being dropped, and whether 3+5=5+3
because addition is commutative or because they both equal 8."
   - Scott Aaronson