Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by blooalien 18 days ago
My own personal "pet peeve" cliche phrase is anything that is "literally" (except it's really figurative) something. So many people for so very long have used "literally" to mean the literal opposite of it's actual meaning. Even when they don't use it to mean it's actual opposite meaning, they'll still often use "literal" to describe a thing that is in no way actually literal. It just "grinds my gears" to hear it.
1 comments

blooalien says "My own personal "pet peeve" cliche phrase is anything that is "literally" (except it's really figurative) something. So many people for so very long have used "literally" to mean the literal opposite of it's actual meaning. "

That is called "illiteracy". Unfortunately it can be eliminated only by the tedious but necessary process of someone literate (you) politely instructing the illiterate about the proper use of each misused word, e.g., "literally". Takes time, human speed, worthwhile.