[Ads-l] IDGAF--with quantities

Tue Nov 18 13:37:44 UTC 2025

The F-Word (ed. 4) has a new entry for this, which I defined (with input from people here, and others) as "in idiomatic uses in negative contexts: a small or insignificant amount of caring or empathy, regarded as a quantifiable unit." This entry includes things like "don't give two fucks", "zero fucks given", and "to give no fucks".

Earliest quote is Philip Larkin in a 1945 letter: "I need someone who consciously accepts mystery at the bottom of things…—an artist—the kind of artist who is perpetually kneeling in his heart—who gives no fuck for anything except this mystery, and for that gives every fuck there is."

Next was 1972 from G. F. Newman's _You Nice Bastard_, in an English context, for "couldn't give two fucks about", although I've just searched again and found an example of "You couldn't care two fucks about me" from John Gardner's _The Censor_ (copyright 1969, published 1970), which I've added for the future.

Earliest specifically for "zero fucks given" is 2009.

Updates very welcome!

Jesse Sheidlower

On Tue, Nov 18, 2025 at 07:19:53AM -0500, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> "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."
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society -
> > https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Can6993%40WAYNE.EDU%7C4ee4b1d9e9504f57fdf708de24bfe38a%7Ce51cdec9811d471dbbe6dd3d8d54c28b%7C1%7C0%7C638988603743562973%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=pd9XsQe25K1gJGsLGqqs9GFwI5dHzzky9mLYpOpJDCM%3D&reserved=0
> > <http://www.americandialect.org/>
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Dennis C. During
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society -
> > https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Can6993%40WAYNE.EDU%7C4ee4b1d9e9504f57fdf708de24bfe38a%7Ce51cdec9811d471dbbe6dd3d8d54c28b%7C1%7C0%7C638988603743579412%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=32wMIR92utMB8sqf7VelA31A5QACCfIJt9YKooTHnEw%3D&reserved=0
> > <http://www.americandialect.org/>
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society -
> > https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C02%7Can6993%40WAYNE.EDU%7C4ee4b1d9e9504f57fdf708de24bfe38a%7Ce51cdec9811d471dbbe6dd3d8d54c28b%7C1%7C0%7C638988603743589938%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=iQGOwaWMXeVFCBkTT1tiBMI1BeGFJzhsHii0PlqotpM%3D&reserved=0
> > <http://www.americandialect.org/>
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> 
> 
> -- 
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org