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“BGP is literally the glue of the Internet” - I think you’ll find BGP is figuratively the glue of the Internet ;)
by duggan 14y ago
“BGP is literally the glue of the Internet” - I think you’ll find BGP is figuratively the glue of the Internet ;)
- virmundi 14y agoIt depends on how one defines virtual glue. But, hey, the whole thing might be moot. http://xkcd.com/1108/ http://xkcd.com/1108/
- prof_hobart 14y agoYou do realise there's more than one meaning for "glue" these days, presumably (including "something that binds together")?
- jganetsk 14y agoThere's also more than meaning for "literally" these days.
- mpyne 14y agoThat only makes it more likely that what was said has a semantically correct meaning though (or is that what you meant?).
- bennyg 14y agoHe meant that there is literally only one definition for literally. Any other use of the word cuts away at its meaning (like what happened in that context).
- prof_hobart 14y agoNot really. It is literally something that binds the internet together (i.e. one of the common definitions of the word glue).
- BCM43 14y agoNow we can get into what "bind" means.
- mpyne 14y agoOr we can stop pretending like we're even a little bit confused as to what was meant at any point along the way here... natural language exists to facilitate communication and understanding, not pointless arguments over the form of idiomatic expressions.
- sageikosa 14y agoWith two inflection points in the phraseology, you can literally reverse your glue.
- clebio 14y agoI'm in this camp. To me, 'literally' has only one meaning. If it doesn't, the word loses all utility. He could say 'is essentially the glue', I suppose.
- glomph 14y agoYou are outdated to the extent that you would have been behind the times in the 1680s where the word was already being used to mean 'what follows must be taken in the strongest admissible sense'.
- namank 14y agoWell, they make a valid point in that a word carries with it implicit attributes that should also be taken into account. It's what really separates bad writing from very bad writing. Then again, it's also a perspective thing.
- clebio 14y agoCurious why such a specific time period. Is there a source for 1680s? The 17th century would probably be sufficient otherwise.
- joshAg 14y agoOED has the source if you have access to it, which I don't or I would provide it here.
- saraid216 14y agohttp://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=literally&allowed_in_frame=0 http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=literally&allow... Etymonline does not reproduce the OED, but it does source from it and sometimes you get lucky.
- clebio 14y agoThanks for the link! It's fairly interesting, too. That citation specifically reads: 'Erroneously used in reference to metaphors, hyperbole, etc., even by writers like Dryden and Pope, to indicate "what follows must be taken in the strongest admissible sense" (1680s), which is opposite to the word's real meaning.' So for one, it states clearly 'erroneously used' (and indeed has this specific wording, 'strongest admissible sense'). Further, gives the 1680 number, but doesn't actually source that any further (general writing periods of Dryden and Pope? Perhaps, though not clear). Anyway, that's fun. I miss the OED, but it's the sort of massive tome that's impractical to always have on hand.
- CodeMage 14y agoMerriam-Webster "Ask the Editor": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai_VHZq_7eU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai_VHZq_7eU Also worth watching, "The History of English in 10 Minutes": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rexKqvgPVuA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rexKqvgPVuA
- duggan 14y agoI think it would be a stretch to suggest that the use of "literally" here was for the sake of hyperbole. It seems pretty clear that it's intended as an analogy. Interesting videos though, didn't realize I'd stepped on another unexploded grammar mine from The War. I really should know better at this stage.
- huskyr 14y agoObligatory The Oatmeal reference: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/literally http://theoatmeal.com/comics/literally
- lifeformed 14y agoIt's literally the figurative glue.
- punjabisingh 14y agoHere's a good read: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_good_word/2005/11/the_word_we_love_to_hate.html http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_good_word/2005/11/the...
- elpee 14y agoI think BGP is more of a mucus than glue
- nikcub 14y ago'literally' has literally become an overused cliche that does't mean anything and isn't used properly most of the time. you can almost always take it out of the sentence it is being used in and the sentence is easier to read and makes more sense. a new pet-hate word for me (nothing on you OP!)