Hacker News people being overly literal? Can't be. Jesting aside, yes, I would echo this and a couple other comments: the point is to nudge yourself to think a

Hacker News people being overly literal? Can't be. Jesting aside, yes, I would echo this and a couple other comments: the point is to nudge yourself to think a bit more about diction, and spotting the word "very" is an easy trigger to do that. Most replacements for very + something will be more precise, more evocative and just sound better. Of course, while more precise, they may be more inaccurate. You trade the shotgun of "very" for a sniper rifle, and that requires more careful aim.