# As near/far as I can tell and others

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-near-far-as-i-can-tell-and-others/49641>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 12, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-near-far-as-i-can-tell-and-others/49641 "2001-01-12T04:09:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-near-far-as-i-can-tell-and-others/49641/1 "2001-01-12T04:09:13Z")

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I have a couple of questions about phrases that look like they should mean opposite things, but actually mean the same thing. Here are the ones I can think of off the top of my head:

[ul]  
As near as I can tell = As far as I can tell  
I could care less = I couldn’t care less  
Inflammable = Flammable  
[/ul]

So here are my questions:  
(1) Is there a name for phrases/words such as this? If not, any Latin buffs wanna suggest something?

(2) Anyone think of any others?

(3) Is there a “right” choice and a “less right” choice in any case?

Have fun!  
Quix

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**Author:** ![jbird3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aeb1de/32.png) [@jbird3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbird3000)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-near-far-as-i-can-tell-and-others/49641/2 "2001-01-12T05:30:15Z")

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Fill in this form  
Fill out this form

Same difference  
No difference

Take a shit  
Leave a shit

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**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-near-far-as-i-can-tell-and-others/49641/3 "2001-01-12T05:44:07Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by jbird3000 \*  
> \*\*Fill in this form  
> Fill out this form
> 
> Same difference  
> No difference
> 
> Take a shit  
> Leave a shit  
> \*\*

Leave a shit? Never heard that one… is it a regional thing? (I’m American, BTW). Thanks for the added ones!

Quix

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-near-far-as-i-can-tell-and-others/49641/4 "2001-01-12T06:11:30Z")

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Some of them are just cases of the sarcastic turn of the prase becoming popular. “Couldn’t care less” makes sense. “Could care less” means you couldn’t care more – you care the absolute maximum amount. So it’s actually being used sarcastically in the latter, but perhaps not conciously. The former is preferred.

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**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-near-far-as-i-can-tell-and-others/49641/5 "2001-01-12T07:02:44Z")

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Second what SmackFu said. The other two have different shades of meaning. “As far as I can tell” refers to a weaker understanding than “as near as I can tell”, just as “I didn’t get very far” means that you didn’t get as far as “I didn’t get very close”.

“Inflammable” means it it capable of being inflamed, which is stronger than simply being capable of being flamed. “Inflammable” means that it can be set on fire, while “flammable” means that it can be burnt, which is a subtle difference.

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**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2001, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-near-far-as-i-can-tell-and-others/49641/6 "2001-01-12T12:29:41Z")

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No, “could care less” doesn’t mean the same as “couldn’t care more,” or caring the maximum amount. Look at it this way, if you’re driving in a car, you could say, “I could go slower.” This doesn’t mean you’re driving at the absolute maximum. It just means you’re not at a complete stop. “Could care less,” therefore, means that you care to some degree.