4 ms·
"Since then, Yahoo has quite literally prostrated themselves before Microsoft to get a merger done, even perhaps at a price much lower than Microsoft’s original
by byrneseyeview 18y ago
"Since then, Yahoo has quite literally prostrated themselves before Microsoft to get a merger done, even perhaps at a price much lower than Microsoft’s original bid."
You know, I thought this was an error. But look!
"Pronunciation
IPA: /ˈlɪtəɹəli/, SAMPA: /"lIt@r@li/
1. In the direct, word for word sense. With neither idiom nor metaphor.
"When my sewing kit fell off of the barn loft, I literally had to look for a needle in a haystack."
2. In a non-direct, figurative sense. Not literally.
"When I saw that Michael Arrington, someone who writes for a living, use the word "literally" to mean "figuratively", my eyes literally exploded with figurative rage."
Also, in case anyone needs a memorable explanation of when not to say "literally", consider: http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/van/144733448.html http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/van/144733448.html
- gruseom 18y agoHeh, that's good. What other words mean both X and the exact opposite of X?
- byrneseyeview 18y agoWe have formed an oversight committee to avoid repeating that egregious oversight. Edit: Here's a collection! http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cellis/antagonym.html http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cellis/antagonym.html
- aston 18y agoUnlike most antagonyms, "literally" only took on its opposite meaning when it was used hyperbolically--that is, when it was meant to be interpreted ironically/sarcastically. I guess now we've given up on the distinction, though.
- bockris 18y ago'cleave' is always the one I remember. http://www.fun-with-words.com/nym_autoantonyms.html http://www.fun-with-words.com/nym_autoantonyms.html and http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cellis/antagonym.html http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cellis/antagonym.html
- mattmaroon 18y agoTechCrunch is in dire need of a copy editor. I'm pretty sure everyone who writes there simply types their article into Wordpress and clicks publish. Even typing into MS Word first would help, since the built in grammar checker would catch a nice chunk of them.