to give a rat's arse
- idiom
- Offensive
- And to be brutally honest, I couldn't give a rat's arse about "four new characters."
Examples
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Great, I think it's wonderful you and your privilege don't have to give a rat's arse about any of the above.
Blog text (2) -
He doesn't give a rat's arse whether they approve of his choices.
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Who gives a rat's arse whether Hitler was a hypocrite?
Blog text (17) -
You are absolutely right, but unfortunately the "big two" don't give a rat's arse about feminism.
Blog text (4) -
You are absolutely right, but unfortunately the "big two" don't give a rat's arse about feminism.
Blog text (4) -
To be fair to Berlusconi, by the way, I'm sure he could not give a rat's arse what the RC church thinks about this poor woman.
Blog text (8) -
I couldn't give a rat's arse if you can do great accents at a bookstore reading or leave a crowd at a literary festival in stitches.
Blog text (9) -
Mitt couldn't give a rat's arse how much you pay for a gallon of gas - he'll deregulate, big oil will ship it to whoever will pay the most, and you'll make excuses for him too.
Blog text (29) -
I honestly couldn't give a rat's arse about the latest fashion trends.
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She seemed to not give a rat's arse about his opinion on the matter.
Synonyms
To not care at all about someone or something
To not care at all about something
To care at all about something
To not care at all about something
To say in rude language that someone does not care at all
To not care at all about something, usually in negative sentences
To feel no interest or worry at all about something
To not care at all about something, used only in negative sentences
Not care at all about something
To not mind something at all
To feel no interest or concern about something
Not be very interested in something, said as a joke
How Concerned
- Offensive
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
give + a + rat's + arse
The phrase 'give a rat's arse' is a vulgar idiom whose overall meaning ('to care at all' usually in the negative) cannot be derived from the literal meanings of 'give', 'rat' and 'arse'. Although languages have equivalents for 'I don't care' and learners may know the words, the metaphorical, dismissive use of 'rat's arse' is language-specific and unpredictable for a B1 learner who has not encountered the idiom.
Etymology
The idiom give a rat's arse comes from a rude picture: a rat's arse is very small and seen as worthless, so one popular story says that to give someone a rat's arse would mean to care even a tiny bit. Because people usually say they don't give a rat's arse, the phrase now means 'not to care at all'.