Americanisms That Really Annoy British People

[LMuhlen]

I find the answer to the could/couldn't care issue to be simple.

"I don't give a rat's ass."

Problem solved.

Until the US changes to "I'd give a rat's ass" and it starts all over again.

[HavokHeart]

I always felt "I could care less" had a bit of implied sarcasm. If the intent is understood I don't see the problem.

[Dellis0991]

I could care less =I don't give a fuck

[Deleted]

I could care less still works, though. I don't know why people get so angry about it.

No, it really doesn't work.

Couldn't care less = You care as little as possible = You pretty much don't care at all.

Could care less = You care, but not as little as possible = You don't hate it as there are things you could care less about.

They are NOT the same thing at all and 'could care less' is almost always used inappropriately.

Think about it .... you can do it .... but if you still don't get it .... then i couldn't care less :-P

[Ragedaug]

But seriously, how much do you care about it? Apart from not, which you established you don't.

It's definitely more than a little, 'cause it really annoys me too

[Deleted]

I could care less =I don't give a fuck

OI ...NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

If you COULD care less than you do then you DO give a fuck even if it's a small fuck.

If you DON'T give a fuck then it's "i couldn't care less" which means it's impossible for you to give LESS OF A FUCK.

[Ragedaug]

I could care less =I don't give a fuck

While that's true as far as the intention of the person saying it, "I could care less" also equals, "I'm not good with words".

[Deleted]

Like I said, I only use it to drag on obnoxious Brits. They also more-likely-than-not were also Tories.

Say you wouldn't happen to be a Tory? Asking because my comment really seemed to speak to you. I think I'm really onto something.

Wannabe troll. You have a long way to go yet.

[Dellis0991]

While that's true as far as the intention of the person saying it, "I could care less" also equals, "I'm not good with words".

Yeah sure why not.

[Socialhealer]

Petrol is short for petroleum and there are about a million petroleum products, everything from road asphalt to the petroleum jelly used as a skin softener.

Gasoline is specific, it's one petroleum product out of the million.

Change please.

when we can fill our cars with road asphalt or petroleum jelly, then there might be confusion.

but 99.99999% of the time when someone says i need to get some petrol we all know it means for the car.

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Until the US changes to "I'd give a rat's ass" and it starts all over again.

or i could give less rats asses lol.

[Emote]

God British people are annoying

[Heavens Night]

No, it really doesn't work.

Couldn't care less = You care as little as possible = You pretty much don't care at all.

Could care less = You care, but not as little as possible = You don't hate it as there are things you could care less about.

They are NOT the same thing at all and 'could care less' is almost always used inappropriately.

Think about it .... you can do it .... but if you still don't get it .... then i couldn't care less :-P

Pretty much this.

If you COULD CARE LESS then you do care.

If you COULDN'T CARE LESS then you don't care at all.

It's not rocket science.

They are not the same thing at all.

[HawtFist]

"should of" and "I could care less" irk me to no end, so does Y'all. ( the pronunciation , not the grammar)

Hello. I created an account when I read this, as I've noted a couple other people before you commenting on "should of." I've only been doing WoW for less than a year over the past few years, so I wouldn't normally feel comfortable posting in a forum like this, but I have to tell you, it isn't "should of." It's "should've." The contraction for "should have" is "should've." Because of most American accents it just sounds like "should of." I admit some people use "should of," which is terrible and wrong, but most of us are saying "should've," I think.

Also, "y'all" used to bug the crap out of me, but now I live near Texas and it's starting to grow on me. It's incredibly useful for referring to a group of people (second person plural). I used to use "you guys" or "your company" or "your office" and so on. But "y'all" takes care of that nicely. It's no different than "they'll" in my opinion (as in "they'll get you if you're rolling dirty").

[Mistame]

That isn't British people, that is everyone but Americans.

No, it's not.

It is also the one thing in American English that should change. It just sounds stupid.

No, we shouldn't. It sounds stupid to you, but your opinion is largely irrelevant. "Aluminum" has been used in the US since the late 1800's. As far as sounding stupid, considering that the guy that named it chose "aluminum" before settling on "aluminium" because it sounded "classier", I'd argue that the extra syllable has no value whatsoever in modern vernacular.

I could care less means exactly the same as I couldn't care less as everybody thinks it does.

No, it doesn't. The person saying it may intend for it mean the same, but it doesn't actually mean the same thing.

This is language, not math. It isn't absolute, it is packed with inconsistencies and it keeps changing.

To a degree, sure. But words having meanings. A person doesn't get to just change the meaning of a word because it suits their ignorance. "Could" and "couldn't" are literal opposites. They can't mean the same thing. The same applies to the misuse of "literally", a word cannot be its own antonym.

Style overrides most rules and directions in language so don't nit pick.

This is like saying the color of a car is more important than if the engine works.

And it's more like al-you-min-ee-um. Might depend on accent though.

Which is worse. "U" generally only makes a "yew" sound when describing the letter alone or when it's the first letter of a word (eg, use).

[Deleted]

So I've heard that the word "Bimbo" has a nasty meaning in German, is that true?

It's also a brand of sliced bread.

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Spot the odd one out:

Magnesium
Potassium
Sodium
Beryllium
Aluminum

[Afrospinach]

Spot the odd one out:

Magnesium
Potassium
Sodium
Beryllium
Aluminum

Oooh Ooooh, Berylium.

It is the only thing on that list that is illegal to make pistons out of in formula 1.

[Z-Man]

For me, it's not "Americanism" but I don't understand how Americans can be proud of being ignorant.

It's a badge of honor for some people. I work with people who brag that they haven't read a book or a newspaper in decades, and it's like they're expecting some sort of award for it.

[Deleted]

Oooh Ooooh, Berylium.

It is the only thing on that list that is illegal to make pistons out of in formula 1.

Lol very good you win a prize

[Milchshake]

Wannabe troll. You have a long way to go yet.

What if I want to be a sock puppet, any advice for us? How would I white knight for my other account with other low post count accounts?

I'm also thinking context matters.

• Could be a generational thing as well. Younger people might be less offended than older generations. These young guys are so edgey nothing offends them.
• Location, location, location. This drag would be less effective in Britain than abroad. For a person that has rarely traveled and has always been surrounded by other like speakers,, they have less reference for this joke.

[Z-Man]

Oooh Ooooh, Berylium.

It is the only thing on that list that is illegal to make pistons out of in formula 1.

Close. "Pistons must be manufactured from an aluminium alloy which is either Al-Si ; Al-Cu ; Al-Mg or Al-Zn based."