“I could care less* when people mean they could NOT care any less.
By saying they could care less, they are stating that they are capable of caring less than they already do.
By saying *I could NOT care less* it means there is no chance of any possibility of me caring less about something than I already do.
"I literally died laughing".
Good one. Bugs me too.
“I could care less...”
Ironic slang from the Second World War; a shortened form of “I could care less...but it would be hard.”
By saying they could care less, they are stating that they are capable of caring less than they already do.
By saying *I could NOT care less* it means there is no chance of any possibility of me caring less about something than I already do.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a threadwinner!
This is a tremendously annoying pet peeve and is all too common.