Monday 17 October 2011

“It’s Literally”…Driving me bananas...


Just a – literally – “quick one” this week, dear readers…But I want your help with this particular blogcast…I`ve become troubled by something



Have you noticed how often the word `literally` is cropping up in everyday conversation? – it’s literally everywhere! (And, frankly my dear, it’s “doing my crust in”).


Pin your ears back – (not literally, of course, as that would be painful in the extreme, and quite probably contravene various health and safety guidelines) – and take a listen. You’ll be amazed - literally.


It literally makes my blood boil


So much so, dear readers, that sitting around the radiogram of an evening in front of my hearth, I have taken to sounding off an antique car horn each time I hear this particular word mentioned (much to the surprise and discomfort of the present Mrs Blogbrarian): believe me, dear readers, you’d be literally astonished at the regular cacophony of enraged honking that emanates from our cosy parlour!






Help required:


So, can you start literally listening out for me, please?...


On the radiogram or television, on our local trolley-buses and trains, on the streets and paths of Bexley…keep your ears literally to the ground* and let me know how often/where/when you hear the accursed word. (Just use the comments link; it’s literally underneath this bit).

Oooh! I nearly forgot…Are there any more words or phrases that really, literally, get your goat? Then now’s the time to share. Tell us…Let rip, literally!


Cheerio!


* Disclaimer – The Blogbrary can in no way be held literally responsible if anyone does – literally – keep their ears to the ground, as this might – literally – cause them to get scraped or grazed.
Nasty!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hear hear. Literally is fine when it means literally; not so good when it actually doesn't mean the thing being mentioned at all.

Another of my pet hates is the abuse of 'unique' - something eiher is or isn't unique, it can't be a bit, quite, fairly or any other qualification of the word.

Final grouse - disinterested vs uninterested - discuss.

D. said...

“I think Blogbrarian - you might literally be like taking this too like seriously! Like - last time someone like - went to me "literally" was literally no time ago and hey - it's literally like - ok. It's like when they go "Yeah" and you're like "Yeah?!" and they're "YEAH" like - literally - like that.
That's my view on the matter.”

D.

Anonymous said...

Totally amazing.

JR said...

Yep, I stopped watching Gary Rhodes way back when, because I was fed up with the way he literally just whisked eggs, literally just folded filo pastry etc. etc.


JR

Blogbrary said...

Well, nice to hear from you all. Thank you.
Yes I think that we might have a fairly unique discussion on our hands here about words & phrases, maybe we've literally opened a can of worms?
(By the way, so far this morning I`ve heard “literally” twice on the radio, once on the bus, and – shock horror! -twice from a colleague….Harrumph).

Anonymous said...

"Not being funny but".
Why do people say that?

CJ said...

My pet hate has to be "you know what I mean?" This seems to be a favourite of the famous as well as us mere mortals - you know what I mean?
Anyone using words such a "sick" for anything good. I still can't work that one out.

So yeah, I could literally, like, go on and on.

Blogbrary said...

Wonderful!
We now need to action these points pdq.
More, please...
TTFN

Peter said...

The misuse of language that is most annoying to me is people who insist on talking in acronyms. I wondered if there was a website about this so I searched for "Talking in acronyms" only to find that there was an acronym for this too, TIA. Which is also an acronym for Thanks In Advance, Terrorism Information Awareness, and Technology Industry Association. When will this all end? Pdq I hope!

Blogbrary said...

Thanks, Peter - no, I don't like acronyms either.
TTFN

Anonymous said...

Surreal

Literally ashamed of myself... said...

Dear Blogbrarian,
I am an unfortunate devotee of 'literally'. I'm not quite sure how it happened but it just seems to have appeared in my vernacular without my knowledge - I don't even notice when I'm saying it!

Can you recommend a fool proof way to erase the offending - and often misused - word? You'd be doing a service to the enraged ears all around me!

Blogbrary said...

Dear “Literally ashamed of myself”…

Thank you for your recent email –

I`m not often asked to be an agony uncle, so this is a tricky one…

I always find writing notes on my hand is a useful aid – (the problem is that often I can’t read what I`ve written) – so you could ink “I MUST NOT SAY LITERALLY” on your hands?
Alternatively, you could always ask family, friends and colleagues to listen out for you; they could then reprimand you literally each time you say literally, and impose a £1 fine for each transgression? That might do the trick?

I do hope that’s of some help?

TTFN

Blogbrary said...

Dear “Literally ashamed of myself”…

Thank you for your recent email –

I`m not often asked to be an agony uncle, so this is a tricky one…

I always find writing notes on my hand is a useful aid – (the problem is that often I can’t read what I`ve written) – so you could ink “I MUST NOT SAY LITERALLY” on your hands?
Alternatively, you could always ask family, friends and colleagues to listen out for you; they could then reprimand you literally each time you say literally, and impose a £1 fine for each transgression? That might do the trick?

I do hope that’s of some help?

TTFN

Anonymous said...

'Going forward'

'Action', 'Progress' (in the sense of to progress something rather than to progress towards)and many other examples of making verbs out of nouns.

Blogbrary said...

Very much so. (That's another one, by the way).

And yes! - making verbs out of nouns is very troubling...Still next year at the Olympics, let's hope that lots of our brave athletes can 'medal'…?

TTFN

Anonymous said...

They could even 'podium', in fact I'd lay a (small) wager that they do if TV sports commentators stay true to form.

Lisa said...

American sayings like 24/7 and back in 5 really make me shudder. Sadly some words are woefully under used Please and Thank you for instance. Well that's my moan for the day.

JR said...

Just revisited the blog and I LOVE the thought of medal as a verb. It’s only a matter of time….

Anonymous said...

X Factor talk.
EG You nailed it.
One hundred and ten per cent.
You have been on a journey/steep learning curve.

Total rubbish.