From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxj!mhuxi!mhuxv!burl!rcj
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Title: Re: "I could care less"
Article-I.D.: burl.62
Posted: Sat Feb  5 22:29:07 1983
Received: Sun Feb  6 07:40:24 1983


'The literal meaning of the phrase is clearly the reverse of what the
person intends to say...'

I believe that this is inaccurate:  "I could care less" is merely a
shortened version of the original statement "I could care less, but I
don't know how."  This type of intensification is quite popular:
"He/she/I/they/we could be uglier/fatter/richer/poorer/whatever, but
I can't see/don't know how."

Don't ask me for verifying documentation, 'cause I ain't got none,

The MAD Programmer
alias:  Curtis Jackson	...!floyd!burl!rcj
			...!sb1!burl!rcj
			...!mhuxv!burl!rcj