Is the phrase can't be asked or can't be ars*d?

[brionyw]

Age old debate in our office could be answered. Is the phrase 'can't be asked' or can't be ars*d'? Does anyone know where it comes from?

[Glossopswift]

I have only ever heard the phrase 'can't be ars*d', meaning 'I can't be bothered'. Can't help you with where it comes from though.

[Quizmonster]

It just seems to be a modern variant of the older phrase "bother your ar$e" as in "I aked for his help but he wouldn't bother his ar$e." I suppose that originated in the idea that one had actually to get up off one's bottom in order to take action.

[FatCharlie]

I agree that this does not derive from 'asked', the confusion is caused by the ever increasing pronounciation of asked as arst.

[miss_chase]

in the school where i teach, the kids say arx and arxt instead of ask and asked. it drives me mad!!

i've only heard 'can't be ars*d' for 'can't be bothered'. i thought it had something to do with getting off your bottom to do it too!! 

[coffers1]

Miss Chase, I think that arks is actually patois for ask....DJ Spoony on Radio one always used to say arks and he's jamaican if im not mistaken

[brionyw]

Well that answers another question I've always wondered about!  Thank you for all your help... I'll be sure to arks again if I'm stuck!  thanks Bx

[acw]

I suppose we could say that many people today can't be ars*d to pronounce things properly!  It really annoys me too!

 

As for the acutal question - i vote for "can't be ars*d too!

[miss_chase]

it is patois yes but all dem childs is not jamaican! ah, evolving language eh?!

x

[IndieSinger]

"Aks" is a common way of saying "ask" amongst many African Americans. Interestingly, I was taught that the verb used to be "acs" (or "ax" (?)) in English.

[Quizmonster]

'Ascian' was the original verb-form, but 'ax' was the standard form in literature - eg Chaucer uses it - until about 1600. 'Ask', which is now standard, of course, was originally just a northern dialect variant. The history of the 'aks' pronunciation goes a lot further back than anything imported from the West Indies!

[Philtaz]

Brilliant question!  I have always taken it to be 'asked', as I use it often.  To me, it says "No, I couldn't be bothered to do it even if you asked me nicely".

[Sammy Snake]

I have never heard it as 'can't be asked'.

Round here it is always 'can't be a*sed', i.e 'I can't be bothered to get off my a*se and do it'.  Maybe it's a north/south thing. 

[miss_chase]

brilliant. am about to do a scheme on canterbury tales - shall share this info. cheers quizmonster.

[cave-man]

I have always heard arsed. Derived from sitting on your arse and being lazy. Or making your arse muscles move. It's interesting though how some people say asked. I've never seen how asking could be relevent. A friend of mine responded to this phrase with "why cant you be asked? have you cut off ur ears?"...

[carmy]

i used to think the phase was 'i cant be asked' but ive heard it said the 'arsed' way too many times that i wont say it at all.
As for the word 'ask' i know someone who says 'ast' instead of ask and it drives me mad, ive even commented on it !
Also the words 'brought' and 'bought' are said the wrong way round, i sometimes correct people by telling them that bought is when you buy something and brought is when you bring something.....oh and dont get me started on the word 'something' no it does not have a 'K' on the end.
thank you for listening to my rant :)

[Onoes]

My understanding is that the original is "I can't be asked", as a double generalization of "You could not ask me to do something," with the implication of this earlier phrase being that even if you asked me to do something, I would not do it. If I would not do anything (as opposed to something), regardless of who asked me to do it (you, or you, or you), then I truly can't be asked.

[Dharling]

The original phrase "can't be asked', meaning one lacks motivation to act, was corrupted in the late 1990's to "can't be arsed". Both phrases are valid and remain in common usage.

[qwertyuiopasdf]

Cant be asked!!!!!!!!

[CravenA]

'Can't be arsed' is British slang from way back - 1960s or earlier (Hunter Davies quoted 'can't be arsed' in his 1968 biography of The Beatles).
"Ones" & "Dharling" badly misinformed (and guilty of misinforming).

[Burgerboy118]

Can't be ar*ed comes from "needing to do something but cannot get of one's ar*e" hence can't be ar*e. In the UK we say ass and ar*e but ar*e is classed as swearing.so maybe kids or teens saying can't be ***, it's miss heard as asked. I think can't be asked can also come from getting asked to do something but deliberately don't do it, you can ask me to do anything,will I do it,hell no, there for "I can't be asked" I'm no doing anything