Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Caring Less

My wife and I were having dinner in a restaurant a few weeks ago when I happened to overhear two couples at a nearby table speaking. One person said, in response to another's comment, "Well, I really could care less. Or is it I couldn't care less? I'm never sure." To which the first speaker replied, "Oh, it doesn't matter, they both mean the same thing."

Oh, really? One phrase says "could not" and the other says "could". The word "not" makes the two phrases completely opposite each other. In what world do they mean the same thing? I wanted to go over to that table and smack them all on the head, even the two people who weren't involved in that exchange just to make a point, but I remembered what happened the last time I smacked someone on the head in a restaurant. It wasn't pretty. So I refrained.

The problem is that many of us say things without actually analyzing what the words mean. If you say "I could care less", that means you care to some extent - maybe a little, maybe a lot, but you care -  so it's possible to tone down just how much you care and care less. What you want to say in a case like this, and the proper phrase is, "I couldn't care less", meaning you don't care at all for the subject at hand and it is impossible to care any less about it.

Of course, this made me think about other phrases that I've heard over the years from people who just say things without understanding what's coming out of their pie-holes. Take this as an example, "for all intensive purposes". What the heck does that mean? What they want to say is "for all intents and purposes", but again they don't bother to think about what they are actually saying.

"It's a doggy dog world", is another one I've heard more than once. It certainly sounds a lot friendlier than the correct phrase, "It's a dog-eat-dog world", which of course means people fighting each other to pursue their own goals and makes a lot more sense. It's kind of a shame that it's the correct phrase, though. It'd be nicer if we always patted each other on the back all the time, congratulating or consoling each other when it was appropriate.

Some people would say complaining about something I can't do anything about is a "mute point", but I'd have to smack them too, because it's a "moot point". Unless, of course, the point is unable to speak.

Another thing that annoys me every time I hear it, although it's not in the same category as these phrases, is when someone says the word "height" as if it ended with a "th". It ends with a hard "t" for crying out loud. Just because other words describing dimension, "length" and "width", are pronounced with the ending "th", "height" isn't.

Enough complaining for now. It doesn't impact me in any way if people speak without thinking. Come to think of it, I couldn't care less. Or could I?

I'd be interested to know of any phrase that you hear misspoken often. Add a comment below if you can think of any.  

31 comments:

  1. lol Great post, John! Reminds me of a recent discussion with an "author" (quotes intentional) on FB. He'd been touting his new book in a FB writers group, talking about how his sales are phenomenal, posting the link to Amazon, etc. His book happens to be a "how-to" book for authors. When I clicked on the Amazon link to take a look and read the blurb, I was astonished to see how poorly written the blurb was. There were several very obvious errors, including one where he wrote "sort of speak." Thinking I'd do him a favor, I sent him a message and pointed out the error by saying that I thought he probably meant to write "so to speak," but that it got garbled when it showed up on the page. I thought I'd allowed him a gracious way out without causing him any embarrassment. Not only did he send back a message to let me know that "sort of speak" is correct (I noted that he didn't say in what language! lol), but he then had the nerve to send me a .pdf and ask for a review. Needless to say, I didn't do the review. He wouldn't have wanted to have read it ;)

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    1. Love it! Unfortunately there are a lot of "authors" out there.

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  2. Hi John,
    Good blog, wish I could do it. My best is Letters to the Editor in the PJ. Nine written, nine printed. They must have spare space to fill. Started out middle of the road then fell off the path onto the right side.

    You're working hard at it-the best to you.

    Regards,
    Barry

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    1. Thanks, Barry. I would say Letters to the Editor count - they're always food for thought if well written, which I'm sure yours are, no matter what side of the aisle they come from.

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  3. Oh John, can I AKS you a question about NUCULAR reactors?

    Those are my 2 pet peeves. It's not simply about hearing something incorrectly and repeating it...what about people who can read or even teachers or a PRESIDENT that speaks that way?

    Makes me crazy!

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    1. You may have just inspired my next post! Thanks, Christine.

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  4. Here's my pat on the back...congratulations, not condolences. Great topic, well done. My pet peeve, although in a different context, is the overuse of the word utilize. Why can't we just use something? Maybe you've inspired me with a topic for my next blog!


    Lois

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    1. Thanks, Lois. I agree with the use of utilize, too. I think people just want to sound more intelligent by using a bigger word!

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  5. And then there are those who can't fanthom what the fuss is all about. Or, people who write 'their own' - if it's theirs, own is redundant. Oh yes and, my all-time favorite: irregardless.

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  6. I could care less, but since I'm quit interested in your writing, that just wouldn't make sense.
    Cheers.

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    1. Thanks, Boris! We're keeping your seat warm at PCWW!

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  7. That totally reminded me of the "On Language" column written by William Safire in the NY Times. My high school AP English teacher made us read his column each week and then gave us a ridiculous quiz on Monday that I would always fail. Your blog was MUCH easier to understand, more relatable and definitely had a better sense of humor. Loved it!

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    1. Thanks, Krissi, that's quite a compliment! I always loved Safire's columns.

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  8. I've always liked "a whole nother" and "you will rule the day."

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  9. I'm just thinking about the possibility of smacking people in restaurants. That could be amusing! Great post John.

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    1. Thanks, Amber. I try to do my smacking selectively, so I get the maximum enjoyment out of each smack. Theaters are also good places to give a smack or two!

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  10. Misuse of "literally" is probably the only thing that actually gets on my nerves. "I literally could've died when I heard that." In THAT case, ma'am, I'm amazed you've survived this long. ~ Leslie

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    1. Wow, that's the only thing that gets to you? You have a much higher tolerance than I do. Wait until you see what else bothers me in my next post! I'm just an old curmudgeon, what can I say?

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    2. Yeah, I honestly like terrible grammar and misuse of language, in some weird way--but SOMETHING about "literally"...I think it's because it's one of the things people use when they're trying to sound smart, and they always get it wrong, haha.

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  11. Thanks John, another great blog. Two words that drive me crazy, the T in often is silent, and there is no such word irregardless, it is regardless. Stu C.

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    1. Irregardless gets to me too, Stu. Thanks for following the blog!

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  12. Great blog. You can create a character who makes all these errors... the problem is, a lot of readers wouldn't get it.

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  13. Here are a couple for your list:
    When I taught in Costa Rica, students who were not fluent in English would say, and write, "firstable" for "first of all."

    My five year old grandson insisted that "trouble" was spelled "chrouble," and told my daughter that spelling it with a "t" made no sense. But he heard the "ch" and that is how he pronounced it.

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    1. Good ones, Clarissa. Thanks. At least they were foreigners and a five year old. When it's an adult whose native language is English, it really drives me nuts!

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  14. Hi John, great blog!

    I am another one whose teeth are set on edge whenever I hear someone say 'Nucular' instead of Nuclear! Also, 'secutry' instead of secRETary. Aaargh! But the one that really grinds my gears is when I hear grown adults say 'pacifically' instead of specifically. Just what do they think they are saying?

    Thanks for a very entertaining read!

    A C Jenman

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    1. Thanks A.C. I appreciate that you stopped by! I'm glad you enjoyed it. There are so many examples of this type of thing - another blog on the topic may be in order!

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  15. One I see a lot among new authors is "suppose to" when they mean "supposed to". You'd think people would figure these things out by reading, but amazingly, some authors don't take the time to read.

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    1. That one gets me too, Courtney. I'm actually planning on including it in my next post, along with some other gems!

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  16. Camels - This one sounds to me like good comedy writing. Funny this sort of thing always got on my nerves as well. My train of thought was: if there exists the possibility of caring less, then the speaker must care at least a bit more than absolutely not at all. Another famous one is "Nuclear": My 7th grade teacher, John Kennedy, GWB, Johnny Carson were some notable "nucular" pronouncers.

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    1. Ah, yes. Nucular. So many annoyances, so little time.

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