don’t give a rat’s ass

D

don’t give a rat’s ass (idiom)
/doʊnt ɡɪv ə ˈræts æs/

Meaning

• To care so little about something or someone that it barely registers.
• To feel complete indifference and decide the whole matter is not worth a second thought.
• To treat something as so worthless that it doesn’t deserve even a moment of your attention.

Synonyms: don’t give a damn, don’t give a shit, don’t give a fuck, couldn’t care less, not give a hoot, not give a fig.

Example Sentences

1. I don’t give a rat’s ass what other people think about my choices—I’m going to live my life the way I want.
2. Even after everyone warned him about the risks, he still said I don’t give a rat’s ass and went ahead with his plan.
3. After the company changed the rules without warning, he simply said he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the new policy.
4. She told her friends she doesn’t give a rat’s ass whether they approve of her decision or not.
5. When the neighbors complained about the noise, he shrugged and replied that he doesn’t give a rat’s ass.

Etymology and Origin

American Military Roots

The phrase “don’t give a rat’s ass” is a blunt American way of saying you couldn’t care less. It grew out of mid-20th-century slang, most likely among soldiers who needed a colorful way to dismiss something as completely worthless. English has long used little things like a damn, a hoot, or a fig to show indifference. Swapping in a rat’s rear end simply turns up the volume — a rat is already considered vermin, and its backside ranks as the least valuable part of the whole creature.

How the Phrase Took Shape

Part of its staying power comes from the sound. In American English, “rat’s ass” snaps off the tongue with a sharp, memorable rhythm that makes the insult land harder. It also fits the long tradition of military talk, where troops invent vivid expressions to shrug off danger, orders, or everyday annoyances. Some see it as a punchier cousin of older animal-based dismissals, though the exact path isn’t fully mapped. At its heart, the idea stays simple: whatever you’re talking about matters even less than the lowest part of a rat.

First Time in Print

The earliest solid appearance comes from Leon Uris’s 1953 novel Battle Cry, drawn from his own time with the Marines in World War II. One character declares, “I don’t give a big rat’s ass what you guys think.” The wartime setting and Uris’s service background point to the phrase already floating around among American troops before it showed up in a book. From there it slowly spread into everyday speech through the 1960s and 1970s.

From Battlefield to Everyday Talk

During the Pacific campaign in late 1944, soldiers of the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment on Leyte turned “rat’s ass” into a unit catchphrase and even used it as a battle cry in an attack remembered as the Rat’s Ass Charge. Years later, American tunnel rats in Vietnam adopted a tongue-in-cheek Latin motto that translates to “not worth a rat’s ass.” Those military roots helped carry the expression into civilian life, where it still works as a straightforward way to declare total unconcern.

Variants

• don’t give a rat’s arse
• don’t give a rat’s
• couldn’t give a rat’s ass
• don’t give a fat/large rat’s ass
• don’t give a rat’s fart/fuck/ring

Animal