[Ads-l] IDGAF--with quantities

[Jonathan Lighter]

"I don't give two fucks" (or "shits" - but not "damns" or "goddamns" in my
experience) has been around since ca1970 or earlier.

Two being less than one.

JL

On Tue, Nov 18, 2025 at 7:02 AM Geoffrey Nathan <
00001a558db4a26e-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> Somewhat of a tangent,
> but this discussion made
> me wonder about when 'fuck'
> became not only a
> count noun but one that was
> actually counted. So I
> asked Google nGram
> about 'zero fucks to give'
> and found a citation from
> 2017. Not the best
> research tool, but
> probably suggestive.
>
> (Apologies for the weird formatting
> but if I don't keep lines shortened
> the listserv machine screws with
> Them)
>
> Geoff
>
> Geoffrey S. Nathan
> WSU Information Privacy Officer (Retired)
> Emeritus Professor, Linguistics Program
> http://blogs.wayne.edu/proftech/
>
> geoffnathan at wayne.edu
>
> Nobody at Wayne State will EVER ask you for your password. Never send it
> to anyone in an email, no matter how authentic the email looks.
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Ben
> Zimmer <00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2025 10:25 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: IDGAF
>
> [EXTERNAL]
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: IDGAF
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> You can find earlier examples in Jesse Sheidlower's _The F-Word_ (4th ed.,
> 2024):
>
> 1969 The Hatchet (George Washington University) (Mar. 20) 11/1: Mural
> Softball Weekend Scores=E2=80=A6. IDGAF 8 -- Teddy=E2=80=99s Team 3.
> 1982 The Manet (North Quincy (MA) High School yearbook) 78: IDGAF, let the
> Good Times Roll, "No Way Jose," "Whatever."
> 1993 RELEASE: Recent and Upcoming Album Releases: 93:41 in rec.music.misc
> (Usenet newsgroup) (Oct. 15): 2 Nov Lyrical Prophets I.D.G.A.F.
> 1997 Re: creative acronyms in alt.tasteless.jokes (Usenet newsgroup) (May
> 28): IDGAF I Don=E2=80=99t Give A Fuck.
> [etc.]
>
> --bgz
>
> On Sat, Nov 15, 2025 at 3:14=E2=80=AFPM Dennis During <
> 00001bcaf94bd005-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > in Wiktionary since 11/2/2011, with a single citation from 1993.
> >
> > On Sat, Nov 15, 2025 at 7:56=E2=80=AFAM Jonathan Lighter <
> > 00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > Md. Gov. Wes Moore on _The Weekend_ (MSNOW TV): I have five letter for
> > the
> > > _Washington Post_ [after an unfavorable comment]: I. D. G. A. F.
> > >
> > > JL
> > >
> > > --
> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> > >
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-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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