Literally

Fossilmaiden · 2013-09-19 13:21:46

Literally was literally being used figuratively literally centuries before you were literally even born. You have literally never lived in a world where this is not literally the case. Literally all literallys in this statement are literally literal.

Tachyon · 2013-09-19 13:25:25

using literally figuratively is a bit silly

i mean you're not a bad person if you do it but it does kind of defeat the point

there are other words that can be used for emphasis

Salix Babylonika · 2013-09-19 13:39:59

Literally is one of several words that is sometimes used to say that, while what you're saying might not be actually literal, you feel like it might as well be.

"I will literally die if I get another essay assignment".

Tachyon · 2013-09-19 14:00:18

it's a symptom of overuse

it's not enough to say 'i will die' anymore, you have to state that you actually will die, and that this is not a metaphor, even tho it is a metaphor

because we are so desensitized to the original metaphor that it's lost its effect

Tachyon · 2013-09-19 14:01:16

Fowler would not approve

nor would Eric Partridge

Salix Babylonika · 2013-09-19 14:02:07

a sign of the decline of western civilization 6bh

Tachyon · 2013-09-19 14:03:23

allow me to literally supply a list of things that are literally dead

[extensive list follows]

Tachyon · 2013-09-19 14:03:45

we did that already in the trash heap anyway

Fossilmaiden · 2013-09-19 14:28:03

Tachyon said:
Fowler would not approve

nor would Eric Partridge

they too were literally born in the wrong century for this

Viani · 2013-09-19 14:53:37

You are literally a child molestor.

So if I put on a diaper, would you protochagenificate me?

BKSIFdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

Previous Calica · 2013-09-19 14:56:16

the only thing I find sad about using "literally" to mean "figuratively" is that there's no word you can use to mean that something is true in the most straightforward sense without metaphor.

but then, this is probably a defect of humanity, not a mere lexical gap. see how the "Sincerity Mode" pothole on TVT came to mean sarcasm.

Tachyon · 2013-09-19 14:59:49

metalanguage

Sredni Vashtar · 2013-09-19 15:01:13

lee4hmz · 2013-09-19 17:41:01

needs more

glennmagusharvey · 2013-09-19 18:26:05

> homestar

I'm Glenn Magus Harvey and I approve this meme citation.

Justice4243 · 2013-09-19 18:45:37

glennmagusharvey · 2013-09-19 18:48:44

Was that actually Russian?

Justice4243 · 2013-09-19 20:27:48

It sounded like a pretty earnest attempt at it, at the very least. So probably, yeah.

Literally

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