Plan B Forum

How many times each day do you hear the word "literally"? The word is overused and inappropriately used most of the time when I hear it. Not only that, the word could be eliminated and it wouldn't need to be replaced.

And just to get this out of the way, before someone else attempts to make a lame joke out of this, yes, I believe the world literally is literally unnecessary.

Nowadays, 99.9% of the time when some uses the word "literally", they could go without using that word and the meaning of what they are saying wouldn't change. For example, the last couple of days when I've seen reporters at the demonstrations in Minneapolis and Chicago, I've heard lines like, "People are literally lining up against the fence facing the police." Why say "literally"? What's a reporter there to do? Report the facts. You don't have to tell everybody that you're not making this up. Besides, on TV I can see what you're talking about, you idiot!

The way the word is being used today, most people are really saying, "Believe Me! I may look stupid but I really think what I'm saying is true!"

When I was younger, I rarely heard the word. Instead, people would wait until they were asked. Someone would say, "Really?" And the response would be, "If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'"... "Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my eye" or maybe even something like "Yes. That's what happened".

I blame social media. Useless catchphrases are more rampant than COVID. And I mean that in a way that uses the ordinary or primary meaning of a term or expression.

Me too. But bad usage and common usage rules. My pet peeve is 'digital' Now it has nothing to do with fingers. I remember when cd's for recorded music first came out and I read lots of stuff about 'digital recordings." compared with 'analog'. I assumed there was a new electronic technology that was moving from binary to a base 10 system. Not so. Now I don't know just what 'digital' means but it has nothing to do with fingers.

snailgate

Joe Guy wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:17 pm

Nowadays, 99.9% of the time when some uses the word "literally", they could go without using that word and the meaning of what they are saying wouldn't change.

I would say, even worse that using it redundantly, are those who use it when what follows is not at all literal, but a metaphor. "He literally ate until he burst." "People are literally exploding in anger," Well no, in neither case were anyone's insides splattered all over the place.

There's a story about a Cambridge college who needed a new piano for the common room, where the students gather. They put in a capital expanse request but it was turned down by whatever committee it is that decides these things. So they rewrote the requisition for a digital frequency generator: passed first time.

PS this may be apocryphal. I don't know if it's literally true.

Scooter wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 17, 2021 9:15 pm

I would say, even worse that using it redundantly, are those who use it when what follows is not at all literal, but a metaphor. "He literally ate until he burst." "People are literally exploding in anger," Well no, in neither case were anyone's insides splattered all over the place.

Excellent point. That should have been included in my rant.

Here is what Merriam-Webster has to say on the topic: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-a ... -literally

I feel the same way about adopting that definition as I do about people who use "nonplussed" to mean something like "unfazed", i.e. its exact opposite.

Someone should write an essay about this, literally!

Another word I've noticed being used too often lately is "unpack", as in "there's a lot to unpack there" when someone is talking about what they perceive as a complex question or situation.

Long Run wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:13 am

Someone should write an essay about this, literally!

AAARGGHHH!!

And don't get me started on kudos as some sort of plural for which the singular is kudo. Generally it is a sports reporter who sees fit to literally thrust this abomination in our faces.

And don't get me started on some authors who use the gdwfl construction "should of" instead of "should have" (or the ugly short version, "should've").

The author is either taking the piss or using a character's ignorant voice and I don't know which it is. Worse, the author may be the ignorant one.

And don't get me started on sports commentators.

In fact, best to not get me started.

Joe Guy wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:22 am

Another word I've noticed being used too often lately is "unpack", as in "there's a lot to unpack there" when someone is talking about what they perceive as a complex question or situation.

Long Run wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:13 am

Someone should write an essay about this, literally!

AAARGGHHH!!

It literally sounds you have a lot to unpack.

Take a nice trip out to Crystal Springs and chill.

Seems to me when I sounded off some time or another about the bastardization of the English language — the mispronunciations, the misspellings, the alteration of meaning of existing words, the infiltration of text-speak acronyms, and the ridiculous 'made-up' words like 'smol', 'thicc', 'phat', and others — I was told that this was the way of all living languages.  They evolve, they become modified, they import words from other cultures, and so on.

So untwist your undies and pull 'em back out of your butt-crack, Joe.  Like it or not, this is just another example of that 'evolution' of the language.... just roll over and accept it, like I have had to.  Otherwise, you're going to look like Don Quixote tilting at windmills.

-"BB"-

Just reading the Facebook comments section of our local rag, "Cornwall Live", is enough to give a grammar/spelling pedant apoplexy, literally. It's the worlds greatest source of "alot", "should of", "would of", and other atrocities.

But how about this from a local resident on our village community page?

That means a lot thank you I just don't understand with everyone dying including my father on his last legs youd think they would leave me alone im doing my best have invested everything here chose a local builder whose amazing used materials that are natural ,these people never supported me when I was open and have nothing better to do I hope you and your family are well and come up next year when I reopen all will be welcome even the haters this is a community I needs to start acting like one and to think some of these comments are from people who failed in business in this village but take no responsibility for their own inadequacies cheers mate have a great Xmas and if were allowed to open youre welcome to come upx

Yes, 'reach out' is one of my (non-)favo(u)rites. Our HR guy used it a lot in my last job: (and while I'm at it, I'm not sure what was wrong with 'Personnel' as a name for that department) and it always seemed to me that its use ('reach out' if you've lost track of my train of thought) connoted some sort of charitable effort. Not a bit of it: he'd sent an email.

P.S. What's the matter with "should've", Meade? It seems to me to be a perfectly legitimate contraction, similar to "I've", "we've", or "they've".

Maybe Meade thinks it would've been better if you could've used should have.

Oh, "should've" is OK - just ugly. It's not f-ed up like "should of"

dales wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 18, 2021 5:28 am

It literally sounds you have a lot to unpack.

Take a nice trip out to Crystal Springs and chill.

When is the last time you were at Sawyer Camp Road at Crystal Springs? When I used to go there it was a gravel road where you didn't see many people. You could drive on it and park somewhere and spend a couple hours there if you wanted. Now it's a paved road and you can't drive on it. It's for bicycles and people who think they are hikers.

You're not allowed to chill there anymore. You have to follow the herd...

As is all good things.

I remember driving on it when it was gravel and I also remember it being paved over and used as a hiking/biking trail.

There's always HMB when it's not over run with people.