The title is pretty self-explanatory, but let me give some detail. I'm a native American-English speaker. I know exactly what that statement means and how to use it. I heard my Pastor use it recently in a sermon, and it got me thinking how one would respond to the charge: >Person 1: "That happened, and you don't give a rip!" >Person 2: "Yes, I do!" Ok, so that makes sense. But without the initial statement to which you can respond, how would you indicate the opposite of: > "I don't give a rip?" Obviously, there's the straightforward: > "I **do** care" But can one say this? > "I give a rip!" I don't think I've ever heard that except as a direct response to **not** giving a rip. Which brings me back to my question: > In this context, what's a rip and how does one give it, anyway?