"Literally", from the Romano Rant Files

[Super Scooter]

"Like" was huge in the eighties and I still hear it used a little too much sometimes still. "Literally" has become the 21st Century's "Like". Lol!

I have a tendency to use the word "like" too much. Literally! I usually only use it where it's fitting, but I still use it to much.

I literally agree that the word "literally" is literally used too much. Literally! I mean, it's getting literally ridiculous! And, like, Oh, my God, while we're talking about it, Sharon literally just stole my whole look. She literally looks just like me now. And, oh, my God, that dress is literally, like, so hot! Seriously! I could literally never afford it. But, like, Ashley, she's, like, literally going to get it. Because she literally gets everything she wants. She is literally a total--... oops! Started channeling about half a billion teenage girls! AUGH! I had to sit through half an hour of that at dinner last night (people sitting next to us). Literally annoying!

 

[D'Snowth]

Really funny random thing: my internet browser (Safari) uses red squiggly lines under misspelled words (like Microsoft Word), and ironically here on MC, "Muppet" is not recognized!

Sounds like that feature that comes with Microsoft Word actually, lol.

But yeah, unfortunately, since "Muppet" is a "made-up" word, then it's not going to be recognized. In fact, if you look up "Muppet" in the encyclopedia, it gives you a "See "Henson, Jim." "Muppet" isn't even in the dictionary as far as I know.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

I dont use Literally that much. But I do have a tendancy to use LIKE alot. My friend actually pointed out how people from philadelphia use like alot. I dont realize I say it though, like (see there I go) I dont do it on prpose. I dunno...

 

[Super Scooter]

I dont use Literally that much. But I do have a tendancy to use LIKE alot. My friend actually pointed out how people from philadelphia use like alot. I dont realize I say it though, like (see there I go) I dont do it on prpose. I dunno...

Must be the east coast. New Yorkers say "like" alot, too.

 

[Skye]

I literally agree that the word "literally" is literally used too much. Literally! I mean, it's getting literally ridiculous! And, like, Oh, my God, while we're talking about it, Sharon literally just stole my whole look. She literally looks just like me now. And, oh, my God, that dress is literally, like, so hot! Seriously! I could literally never afford it. But, like, Ashley, she's, like, literally going to get it. Because she literally gets everything she wants. She is literally a total--... oops! Started channeling about half a billion teenage girls! AUGH! I had to sit through half an hour of that at dinner last night (people sitting next to us). Literally annoying!

Lol, that, like, literally cracked me up!

And speaking of, I do think I tend to use the word "like" a little too much sometimes. It even annoys me when I think I'm saying it too much, lol! But we all have our own weird speaking habits, though.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

This thread got a bit sidetracked, but I wanted to bump it, because I think people need to see it! This particular thing drives me

In general, I think it's important for people to learn the real meanings of words, (maybe not memorize the dictionary definitions, but at least have the right idea), and use them correctly! Otherwise, well, to be frank, you just look uneducated, and eventually the real meaning of the word will be lost. I also happen to like the word litterally and its meaning.
I do use "like" and "ain't" on occasion, but pretty rarely. I don't think there's anything wrong with them as long as you know when not to use them.

 

[Drtooth]

This thread got a bit sidetracked, but I wanted to bump it, because I think people need to see it! This particular thing drives me

I honestly don't know what's worse. People who use words out of context or people who do nothing but complain about people who use words out of context like they're legs have been hacked off by a rusty hacksaw.

Adverbs like that make sentences sound better, and out of context or not, it's very easy to overuse adjectives, interjections and adverbs to a point of annoyance. However, I just noticed something about the word "literally." People can bicker about what the word means, but I'm starting to think that people who use "literally" when they mean figuratively tend to use the term as an over-exaggeration. No different than saying "a million times" when you mean "an annoyingly large amount of times" because it certainly feels like it might as well be a million times even if it's several. Over-exaggeration is a trite way to get a point across, but it does sound better and helps to emphasize the point.

Literally is pretty overused (in and out of context), I agree. As for like, that's a verbal tic. Sometimes we know what we're talking about but can't remember the right words because we're thinking far fast and we get the idea before we have the means to say it. Like is no different from "uh" and "you know" and "whatchyacall it."

 

[Slackbot]

I don't like the way "literally" is used as an intensifier. In fact, I dislike it enough that I rarely use the word myself, as it seems to have lost its meaning. Instead I'll say "without exaggeration" or some other phrase to indicate exactness rather than hyperbole. In my defense, I only got to this point after sharing an office for a year with a woman who continually misused the word. "I spoke to him literally four or five times on the phone." Just as overexposure to a certain allergen can eventually provoke a reaction, I got sick of the word.

As for using "like" and "ain't," well, I'm plenty guilty of that. "Like" is a verbal tic (I like that term!) for me, and I'll say "ain't" when I want to convey an overly informal or facetious tone.

 

[minor muppetz]

I, like, literally like this, like, thread.

I haven't really noticed the misuse of literally much, though I think Weird Al Yankovic has. In his 2003 AL-TV special, when Avril Lavine misuses "literally", Al criticises her. And the recent book Weird Al: The Book has a tweet by Al commenting on the subject.

When it comes to saying "like", there have been times when I've done it on purpose because I thought it was funny (and a few times when I did so on accident). At times I've said, "I really, like, like this" or "I really, like, hate, like...."