Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Sincerely, a person that refuses to let to of the whole "literally" thing. I'm great at parties. Literally has been used to also (or mainly) mean "figurativelly" for centuries, including in major authors, it's not some new phenomenon from some unsophisticated masses... It's just a sound, it's not attached to some inherent meaning that must stand still till the end of time. Not to mention etymology (it originating f…
Thanks for the history of the usage. I found an article that refers to some notable authors using it in a hyperbolic sort of way, maybe I'll do some digging there. My argument isn't really based in etymology, though, and I don't really care about the history of the words I quibble over - I'm fine with language changing in general. My issue is that making "literally" an alias to "very very" and/or "figuratively" leave…
Wouldn't that be a figurative/metaphorical pickle? I can't imagine you'd be inside a jar in actual brine and left to ferment.