> > > Words mean what the majority of people in that country or region believe they mean. REGARDLESS of what it says in a dictionary which may have been printed twenty years ago, two years ago, or even yesterday. Anything else is etymology, not correct usage.
> >
> > And yet... when the meaning of words or phrases switches to the point where they're simply silly to use, should we just accept that? The phrase "I could care less" to indicate that the speaker doesn't care simply doesn't make any sense. I don't care how many people use the phrase that way. If you use words to describe the opposite of what you mean, you're wrong.
>
> Since that phrase is another of my pet hates, I have to agree with you on that one. The first time I saw it was online, and I thought it was a typo. When I found out it was a common phrase (possibly only in America, though, as I've never heard it from any other nationality) it really bothered me.

I'm as keen on precise use of language as anyone else (for the same reasons as Steven and BG have given), but that particular phrase has never bothered me. I've always assumed it meant "I could care less, but only a very little tiny bit less." Still a little clumsy perhaps, but with the emphasis on "could", it's nicely sarcastic.

winter"Sarcasm is important"mute