# What were you THINKING? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 68
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1341 "2024-02-26T00:46:18Z")
![](https://media.tenor.com/IpLm4neJoBcAAAAM/friday-icecube.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1342 "2024-02-26T00:48:18Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > These folks are family of adolph hitler, but they are not literally hitler Hitler is a last name so if any of his family members have that name they _are_, in fact, quite literally Hitler. There’s always a bigger pedant… ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1343 "2024-02-26T00:49:48Z")
So, we’re not talking about adolph hitler the one responsible for the deaths of millions? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1344 "2024-02-26T00:49:52Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > lit·er·al·ly (lĭt’ər-ə-lē) > _adv._ > > 1. In a literal manner; word for word: _translated the Greek passage literally._ > 2. In a literal or strict sense: _Don’t take my remarks literally._ > 3. **Actually; in effect; practically. Used as an intensive to emphasize a figurative statement in an exaggerated way:** _“There are people in the world who literally do not know how to boil water” (Craig Claiborne). I was so angry that my heart literally exploded with rage._ What happened to the word ‘literally’ is the same thing that happened to the word ‘organic’. It used to exclusively mean ‘dealing with the chemistry of carbon when linked to other molecules’ (aka ‘the chemistry of life’) but now more commonly means ‘a particular way of producing food’. That’s language for you. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1345 "2024-02-26T00:51:57Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > So, we’re not talking about adolph hitler the one responsible for the deaths of millions? Unless you specify, how can we be sure? Do you disagree that one John Hitler is _literally_ Hitler? He might be a nice guy, and thus not _figuratively_ Hitler. But surely you wouldn’t argue that a person named Hitler is not literally Hitler? ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1346 "2024-02-26T01:12:55Z")
So trump says: -Immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country- I’m not sure if this is a word for word quote. Someone hears this and comments that trump is literally being hitler. This person is obvs talking about john hitler in Brazil. Not adolph hitler who killed millions and used language very similar to the poison immigrants thing. Good to know. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1347 "2024-02-26T01:14:43Z")
I know about language shift, but this one I don’t really buy. YMMV I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1348 "2024-02-26T01:19:22Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > So trump says: -Immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country- I’m not sure if this is a word for word quote. Someone hears this and comments that trump is literally being hitler. This person is obvs talking about john hitler in Brazil. Not adolph hitler who killed millions and used language very similar to the poison immigrants thing. Good to know. Oh! I see. I didn’t realize we were allowed to use common sense, based on your prior posts. If common sense is allowed, then clearly when someone says that Trump is “literally” being Hitler, they obviously mean that Trump’s actions are “literally” Hitler-like. If common sense ISN’T allowed, then I repeat, it could be any Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1349 "2024-02-26T01:22:54Z")
Who is “Adolph” Hitler? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1350 "2024-02-26T01:24:47Z")
I’ve always found it pretty interesting how this particular emphatic/hyperbolic usage of the word “literally” sticks in so many people’s craws. For whatever reason, words like “really” or “actually” used as intensifiers to refer to things that are neither “real” nor “actual” don’t, but “literally” does. And, yet, hundreds of millions of native (and even non-) speakers go about using “literally” as an intensifier fully understanding what is meant and not causing confusion. It literally makes my head asplode. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1351 "2024-02-26T01:26:42Z")
I’m not cleaning that up… ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1352 "2024-02-26T01:27:57Z")
Ooops, I guess I thought he’d make everything tender. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1353 "2024-02-26T01:30:12Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve always found it pretty interesting how this particular emphatic/hyperbolic usage of the word “literally” sticks in so many people’s craws. Yep. **Sylvanz** is being a real word-Oppenheimer. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1354 "2024-02-26T01:31:59Z")
Common sense is usually not common or sensible. Everyone has their own peeves literal is one of mine. I really dislike, “Hoooha COMMON SENSE!!!111” Hmm, it seems common sense is also one of mine. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1355 "2024-02-26T01:33:40Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > word-Oppenheimer. ISWYDT; snerk ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1356 "2024-02-26T01:45:53Z")
I am a grandma, but I am not your grandma. So straiten up and show some respect…jr. Just to be clear, and seriously. Was that supposed to be an insult? ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1357 "2024-02-26T01:49:30Z")
Come on, y’all. The problem is that we had a perfectly good word, _figuratively_, “used to indicate a departure from a literal use of words, metaphorically.” If the vernacular replaces “figuratively” with what is essentially its opposite, what word are we going to use when we literally mean “literally?” ISTM to be sloppy thinking. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1358 "2024-02-26T02:00:35Z")
I’m my own grandma. And my favorite Hitler is Eddie Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1359 "2024-02-26T02:02:17Z")
Easy, well add a prefix. Just like _regardless_ became _irregardless_, _literally_ may become _illiterally_. So someone named Hitler is illiterally Hitler. Someone acting like Hitler is literally Hitler. Someone acting like Hitler who is also named Hitler? Well, they’re Hitler, so what’d you expect? ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1360 "2024-02-26T02:06:11Z")
Do people actually use: irregardless. _shudder_ There’s another one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=67) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=69)