what does the word "literally" mean? because i obviously don't know

Factual Questions
1

i always thought if you took something literally, you were taking something to the letter. as in, “my computer screwed up last night, so i kicked it over. literally.” meaning you actually kicked the computer, not that you just got pissed at it. but i’ve heard my friends saying things lately like, “i literally got plastered last night,” as a way of saying they got drunk. but by my understanding, to say you literally got plastered means someone applied plaster to you. or i heard an ad for a talk show yesterday where someone said “my best friend said he literally slept with my girlfriend.” again, by my understanding, literally sleeping with someone means you fell asleep beside them, not sex.

on the other hand, i’m no grammer wizard, so maybe i just don’t understand the word. i checked the dictionary, and it seemed to be backing up my definition. but is this a word that’s changing meaning in the english language? what’s the deal?

2

It means you’re late to the party.

Learn to use the word LITERALLY!! AHHHH!!

3

d’oh! i guess i missed that thread. thanks for the link.
y’know, i thought about searching, but i figured searching for the word “literally” would turn up a million matches.

4

Since this is a more of a rant than a question, I’ll close this thread. The rant can continue in the thread that astro linked to above.

Thanks for the link astro. I literally laughed my ass off.

DrMatrix - General Questions Moderator**