Why do we say...

Why do we say...
I could care less

Usually said to imply that we don't care about the subject being discussed. However, saying that you COULD care less means that you DO care about the topic, no matter how small. So I might ask you: How much less could you care about it? If you truly don't care about this subject at all, you should be saying:

"I could NOT care less!" or
"I couldn't care less!"

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Why do we say...
It won't take THAT long

Truth is, that it WILL take exactly THAT long... no shorter, no longer, just THAT long.
What we probably mean to say is that...

it won't take VERY long.

Or said another way:
It isn't THAT big(small, etc.)

Truth is, it is EXACTLY THAT big(small, etc.)... no bigger, no smaller.
What we probably mean to say is that...

it isn't VERY big(small, etc.)

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Why do we say...
Up a Creek with no Paddle

Doesn't the flow of a creek flow downstream, not upstream? That being true, I'd rather be "Up a creek with no paddle" where the normal flow would bring me back, than being "Down a creek with no paddle"! The only place you go when you're already downstream is further out to sea... A very discomforting idea!

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Why do we say...
that Churchill said in his famous short speech...
"Never give up"
when he actually said...
"Never give IN!"

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So why DO we say...?

Probably because we haven't THOUGHT about what we say.
Let's think about it before we say... Thanks!

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Now for some humorous ones...
Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with.

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?

If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?

Why isn't 11 pronounced onety one?

"I am." is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do." is the longest sentence?

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and drycleaners depressed?

Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"?

If quitters never win, and winners never quit, who came up with, "Quit while you're ahead"?

If pro is the opposite of con, is progress the opposite of congress?

Why is it that if someone tells you that there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them, but if they tell you a wall has wet paint you will have to touch it to be sure?

If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?

If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes?"

If the folks at the psychic hotlines were really psychic, wouldn't they call you first?