Reciprocating Bill
Posts: 4265
Joined: Oct. 2006
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literally
adverb
in a literal manner or sense; exactly : the driver took it literally when asked to go straight across the traffic circle | tiramisu, literally translated “pick me up.”
• informal used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true : I have received literally thousands of letters.
USAGE In its standard use, literally means ‘in a literal sense, as opposed to a nonliteral or exaggerated sense,’: I told him I never wanted to see him again, but I didn't expect him to take it literally. In recent years, an extended use of literally (and also literal) has become very common, where literally (or literal) is used deliberately in nonliteral contexts, for added effect: they bought the car and literally ran it into the ground. This use can lead to unintentional humorous effects (we were literally killing ourselves laughing) and is not acceptable in formal English.
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Myth: Something that never was true, and always will be.
"The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you."
- David Foster Wallace
"Here’s a clue. Snarky banalities are not a substitute for saying something intelligent. Write that down."
- Barry Arrington
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