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>The events that literally shook the foundations of the financial system Was there an earthquake at the NYSE?

by SippinLean 8y ago

dullgiulio 8y ago
It seems that the word literally is literally never used in its literal sense.
- aaomidi 8y ago
  Literally has never really been used in the actual definition. Writers have used to it show how important and foundational some event was. Or just to create some excitement in the readers.
tschwimmer 8y ago
check out definition 2: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally
troydavis 8y ago
While some uses are certainly a misunderstanding of one definition, the historical uses and accepted definitions are far broader than many people realize: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-lite... The gist: > The use of literally in a fashion that is hyperbolic or metaphoric is not new—evidence of this use dates back to 1769. Its inclusion in a dictionary isn't new either; the entry for literally in our 1909 unabridged dictionary states that the word is “often used hyperbolically; as, he literally flew.” We (and all the other “craven dictionary editors”) have included this definition for a very simple reason: a lot of people use it this way, and our entries are based on evidence of use. Furthermore, the fact that so many people are writing angry letters serves as a sort of secondhand evidence, as they would hardly be complaining about this usage if it had not become common.
emiliobumachar 8y ago
Obligatory XKCD: https://www.xkcd.com/1108/ https://www.xkcd.com/1108/
marvin 8y ago
Well, the NYSE is only the foundation of the financial system in a figurative sense.
fosco 8y ago
Give this podcast [0] a listen, the meaning of words evolve over time. much of comman talk in the 1600's would not be very well understood today simply because the actual meaning of words has changed. [0] http://www.econtalk.org/john-mcwhorter-on-the-evolution-of-language-and-words-on-the-move/ http://www.econtalk.org/john-mcwhorter-on-the-evolution-of-l...

>The events that literally shook the foundations of the financial system Was there an earthquake at the NYSE?

dullgiulio 8y ago

It seems that the word literally is literally never used in its literal sense.

aaomidi 8y ago
Literally has never really been used in the actual definition. Writers have used to it show how important and foundational some event was. Or just to create some excitement in the readers.

tschwimmer 8y ago

check out definition 2: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally

troydavis 8y ago

While some uses are certainly a misunderstanding of one definition, the historical uses and accepted definitions are far broader than many people realize: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-lite... The gist: > The use of literally in a fashion that is hyperbolic or metaphoric is not new—evidence of this use dates back to 1769. Its inclusion in a dictionary isn't new either; the entry for literally in our 1909 unabridged dictionary states that the word is “often used hyperbolically; as, he literally flew.” We (and all the other “craven dictionary editors”) have included this definition for a very simple reason: a lot of people use it this way, and our entries are based on evidence of use. Furthermore, the fact that so many people are writing angry letters serves as a sort of secondhand evidence, as they would hardly be complaining about this usage if it had not become common.

emiliobumachar 8y ago

Obligatory XKCD: https://www.xkcd.com/1108/ https://www.xkcd.com/1108/

marvin 8y ago

Well, the NYSE is only the foundation of the financial system in a figurative sense.

fosco 8y ago

Give this podcast [0] a listen, the meaning of words evolve over time. much of comman talk in the 1600's would not be very well understood today simply because the actual meaning of words has changed. [0] http://www.econtalk.org/john-mcwhorter-on-the-evolution-of-language-and-words-on-the-move/ http://www.econtalk.org/john-mcwhorter-on-the-evolution-of-l...