>> ^sme4r:
"I am sorry if I interrupted you." after being interrupted himself.
My grandfather would say the exact same thing to me after I interrupted him, so frustrating/humiliating.
Great sift


I agree. He lost, badly, and was clearly outclassed. To then turn to the guy who stomped you and essentially shake his hand and say, "That was one of the finest beatings I've ever received. Well played, sir" is more than I'd expect from anyone at Fox. Especially on an issue like this.

But it wasn't a pingpong ball. The monkey figured something out that many of us wouldn't have. I might have looked for a stick, but I certainly would have gone the violence route before that idea struck me. Planet of the Apes, here we come!

I get the art aspect. It's a nice-looking piece. But I don't get where the mind-blowing stuff is coming from.

This song was on a mix tape I made in college.

I was rooming with three Daves my Senior Year.

The song was a big hit with us. Not sure what everyone else thought, though.

Dave Gort has got to be one of the best names ever.

It was good up until the cop calmly said, "I'm going to have to summons you for littering." Then it became fantastic.

Relentless!

What's funny is that the "I could care less" thing is very low on my list of grammar pet peeves (that guy was just bugging me). Conversational language is far looser than the written word, and a lot of things get a pass from me. It is also ever evolving. However, while it may be about what is implied or inferred, if you're not careful with what you say, those two can be in direct opposition. That can definitely be the case with "I could care less" (though folks seem to have accepted it). The lazier we get with our language, the less* we will understand each other in the future. The world has enough trouble communicating as it is, we shouldn't help it along.


*Less vs Fewer IS one of my pet peeves, on the other hand.
In reply to this comment by deedub81:
"Grammar is about structure, not what is implied (or inferred)."


Yes, and "language" is about what is implied and what is inferred. Grammar is not the only factor involved in communication.

Language is the systematic creation and usage of systems of symbols —each referring to linguistic concepts with semantic or logical or otherwise expressive meanings.

Communication is the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs. Communication sometimes has nothing to do with grammar.



That being said, it bugs the CRAP outta me when somebody says, "I could care less."






In reply to this comment by Bullwinkle:
"Yep, mixed up imply/infer and didn't reread my post. Whoopee, what a tame and insanely common mistake. Notice how I can admit where I'm wrong instead of kicking the air like a mule."

A common mistake and a big one. It also discredits your whole "English Major" trumpeting.

"What an amazingly thorough rebuttal, just stubbornly asserting the opposite without addressing the logic of my post. Why would anyone interpret that you cared enough to give a preference unless an actual preference followed? Explain. Your entire argument rests on this. For "I could care less" to imply caring when the opposite was intended, it has to be inferred that way by the person to whom it's spoken."

I doon't have to write a dissertation (or 100 formal papers) to make a point, though I clearly have to illustrate it again, since you boiled it down to your point instead of mine.

Grammar is about structure, not what is implied (or inferred). So, yes, the speaker may intend to say they couldn't care less when they say, "I could care less," but that is not what they're saying, even if the listener understood what they meant. As another example, people may know what you mean when you use a double negative, that doesn't make it correct.

"Yep, mixed up imply/infer and didn't reread my post. Whoopee, what a tame and insanely common mistake. Notice how I can admit where I'm wrong instead of kicking the air like a mule."

A common mistake and a big one. It also discredits your whole "English Major" trumpeting.

"What an amazingly thorough rebuttal, just stubbornly asserting the opposite without addressing the logic of my post. Why would anyone interpret that you cared enough to give a preference unless an actual preference followed? Explain. Your entire argument rests on this. For "I could care less" to imply caring when the opposite was intended, it has to be inferred that way by the person to whom it's spoken."

I doon't have to write a dissertation (or 100 formal papers) to make a point, though I clearly have to illustrate it again, since you boiled it down to your point instead of mine.

Grammar is about structure, not what is implied (or inferred). So, yes, the speaker may intend to say they couldn't care less when they say, "I could care less," but that is not what they're saying, even if the listener understood what they meant. As another example, people may know what you mean when you use a double negative, that doesn't make it correct.

Banshee, stop tossing around the "English grad" thing like it's some kind of major accomplishment. A) English is one of the most common majors and B) Just because you studied literature does not mean you comprehend language.

As an example, I might point you to the definition of the word "infer."

No matter how much inflection or nuance or meaning you want to throw at the phrase, "I could care less" structurally does not imply what is intended when it's typically used.

Upvote just for the horrifying make-up choice by the reporter.

Really fantastic.

I'll bet this was from special or awards show or something.

He's extremely irritating and needs to buy a thesaurus.

His accent sounded more like his time in Australia has finally affected him. I hope he was trying to be funny, though. It's not as crisp as his jolly ol' accent.

You'd hope they'd get fired, but I'm starting to think this is policy.

I've been home and watched the same thing happen at least half a dozen times. I've called to complain every time, but it keeps happening.

The other option they seem to have is leaving a package leaning against the garage, so we can back over it with our car.

I don't think I've ever watched something that was more than 5 minutes online. This was absolutely wonderful. Thank you.