English rant

You know what, just don't even talk to me if you're going to say one of the following things:

1. "could care less"
Because what you really mean to say is that you COULDN'T care less. If you could care less, that means that you do care--and more than you are minimally capable of. Think about that.

2. "utilize"
Just say "use"! Why dress it up in lame sauce?

3. "impact"  (as a synonym for "affect")
Okay, I know it's not technically bad english. Apparently it's perfectly acceptable. According to the 1928 Webster's, the original meaning of "impact" is "to press or drive firmly together"--hence it's use in dentistry--although according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it's definition began to change as early as 1817. So I guess I'm alone on this one, but when you say "that really impacted me," I can't help but wonder about your wisdom teeth.