What does it mean when a British person says "I can't be asked"?
Last Updated: 02.07.2025 13:35
It may be related to the expression “Get your arse in gear”, which literally means “Start walking” (that is, set your buttocks in motion) but metaphorically means “Begin taking action”. If you “can’t be arsed” you’re refusing to take action.
There are very few circumstances in which somebody would say “I can’t be asked”. Probably you misheard “I can’t be arsed”, which means you can’t be bothered to do something.
On the other hand we also say “I can’t be buggered” to mean “I can’t be bothered”, which seems to have no logic to it other than that it’s an arse-related word that sound bit like “bothered”. With the added complication that although the slang meaning of “bugger” is “have anal intercourse”, its *literal* meaning is “a Bulgarian”.