If you are one of those people who misuses the word literally then I want you to stop it right now. Literally does NOT mean very, really, or absolutely. So if you say, “The chili at the Hi Neighbor will knock your socks off, literally!” you don’t mean that. You see, I’ve had the chili at the Hi Neighbor and while it is excellent, my socks have never suddenly shot off my feet, flown around the dining area, landed at a different table and asked for their own menus. Nor have they simply hopped out of my shoes and sat patiently by my feet, waiting for me to put them back on. They haven’t even drooped. Not even a little. When you misuse literally I can no longer pay attention to what you’re saying. All I can think of is the (usually) idiotic mental picture that you’ve just placed in my head. (By the way, have any of you actually tried to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps?)
Sportscasters may be the worst at misusing literally.
“Well, John, the Little Sisters of the Poor are down three games to none in this best of seven playoff and they literally have their backs against the wall now.”
“That’s right, Jim. They’ve literally dug a huge hole for themselves.”
“Yeah, John, they’re literally behind the eight-ball now.”
Well, I think that I’m literally going to be sick as in actually heaving up my lunch for real.
It’s bad enough that sportscasters use clichés such as those above, but to take a figure of speech and state that you mean it literally is oxymoronic in the extreme. It’s mind blowing; but not literally.
Hey Austin - I literally felt your pain coming through my computer!
Posted by: JB Carter | February 13, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Ha! Yes, such poor usage is literally painful and I appreciate your empathy!
Posted by: Austin | February 13, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Well, in my circle of friends, I very often hear complaints about spelling, grammar and misuse of words. It is to the point where it has almost become cliche. I am happy to say that this is a new complaint though, and I actually agree with it.
Looking forward to reading your blog!
Posted by: Anna Kipps | February 13, 2009 at 12:17 PM
I literally laughed at this post.
Posted by: Dan Kauffman | February 14, 2009 at 03:50 PM
I missed this one before but this post makes me very happy! This may be my biggest pet peeve. I was about 10 when you taught me the correct usage of this word because I said that a girl in my swim class literally stunk at swimming and you told me that she probably didn't actually smell bad. I have literally wanted to smack people who have used the word incorrectly ever since :)
Posted by: Becky | March 02, 2009 at 11:25 AM