QFT
It’s been getting a lot of use lately, too - describing investments … “my portfolio’s been decimated!” Really? That’s pretty freakin’ good!
If by ‘in the past’ you mean 1586, sure. ‘Literally’ has been used as an intensifier for centuries. I wish people would stop thinking that it’s a recent development.
The subsitution of the word “weary” when one really means “leery” has reached such a high point of popularity that I never see/hear “leery” used anymore. I fully expect Webster’s to include the alternate usage for “weary” in the next five years.
Where’s that vomiting smiley?!?
I think word they’re usually after is “wary” – it’s just a misspellign.
i don’t think the use of the word ‘literally’ is the issue. it is the more recent use of ‘literally’ when what is really meant should be ‘figuratively’.
Come, now. Do you think that Ludacris would have picked that as a name if he didn’t think the majority of his target audience would understand the pun? Rappers pride themselves on being clever with words. There is no use in being clever if no one gets it. Do you think the ShamWoW people would have chosen that name if didn’t think it people would associate it with an existing item, the chamois, only better (hence the “Wow”.) Advertising professionals also pride themselves on being clever with words. Again, there is little use in being clever if no one gets it.
These are both instances where people are trying to sell something, by associating their persona or product with existing words. While they certainly can (and do) sell to people who don’t get the connection, if they otherwise attract those people’s interest, they were aiming for those folks that do.
Right, that was my entire point. ‘Literally’ has been used to mean ‘it was really, really like that, but not actually, technically that’ for centuries.
1827: Sir Walter Scott, Chronicles of the Canongate
The house was **literally** electrified; and it was only from witnessing the effects of her genius that he could guess to what a pitch theatrical excellence could be carried.That spelling conjures up the rather disturbing mental image of a rodent that nests within the private parts of women.
“Vaginal rodents of unusual size? I don’t think they exist.”
:giggle:
“I feel like” used to refer to tactile sensations, a statement of one’s health, or possibly an emotion.
It now means, “I think,” or “My opinion is…”
It drives me batshit crazy, but I think I’ve lost the war. If I had a quarter for every time I hear someone start a sentence with “I feel like…” and the rest of the sentence is a thought, or a statement, or an opinion… Well, I wouldn’t need this crappy job.
Example:
A few months ago at the beach, someone was looking for Tony. “Where is Tony?” this person asked a young woman.
She said, “I feel like he’s in the shower.”
And that’s when I had to gouge my ears out with plastic sporks.
Did you notice how “bro” has turned into “brah” (almost but not quite the same pronounciation as the ladies undergrament bra)
Pronounced the same as the first syllable of the word ‘brother’. Been used for years in hip hop culture, but it is faded out mostly, now.
I really don’t know anyone that doesn’t know what ludicrous means. Thanks to Mike Tyson in the 80s, it was pretty much a slang term to toss around for a while there.
But “literally” is not being used exactly the same way “figuratively” would be used. “Literally” is used as an intensifier, in a hyperbolic fashion. Substituting “figuratively” deflates the rhetorical effect.
And I disagree with the OP that more people know who “Ludacris” is than know what “ludicrous” means. I’d put substantial odds on it.
All you need to do is check out an episode of Jay Leno’s “Jay Walking”
or
Are you smarther than a 5th Grader<– this one hurts the brain
To be fair the people who got all the answers correct would never make the air… not good TV.
Both of these shows are precipitated on the fact that most people don’t bother to retain information that is not important to their day-to-day lives. We trivia buffs and locktrap brains are the exception, not the rule.
Not to mention that Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader is often quite banal or overly literal in its questions and answers, and the people on the show often can’t remember how to think like that any more. For example, despite it being almost totally useless since I know what you meant, a fifth grade you would probably have spelled “smarter” correctly.
Even though the thread has taken some twists and turns, I know EXACTLY what you mean. I can’t think of any examples right now, but I’m also not up on pop culture.
There is no way this could be true. Almost everyone knows the word “ludicrous” (and if they don’t, they ought to) but there are huge segments of the population who aren’t familiar with names of rappers.
I’ve seen it on the Web as well, but it’s mostly done when speaking. They use the “ee” pronunciation.
Hmm, when I hear Chamois I think of a cute goat-like animal.