Dominion Strategy Forum
Miscellaneous => General Discussion => Topic started by: Kuildeous on September 28, 2017, 11:14:02 am
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Well, I'm livid now. I just learned that not everybody uses the same definition as me for terms like biweekly, bimonthly, and biannually.
For years, I've labored under the understanding that bi- means two of while semi- means half of, so that bimonthly is every two months while semimonthly means twice a month.
Not so for everyone. Some people use bimonthly to mean twice a month. In fact, online dictionaries have shown the definition to mean either twice a month or every two months. That basically means bi-[time period] is useless in conversation now. Except for biennial, which has a clear definition.
I wonder how these are handled in legal papers. I imagine that bi- is avoided entirely.
My world view has been shattered.
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Yeah, this problem is literally the worst thing that has happened to me. I hope I don't have to deal with it before next Friday.
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Biannual - twice a year.
Biennial - one every two years.
That's how bi is handled. The definition comes from the Latin so if modern interpretations are different then that's a drift away from the original, much like "I could care less".
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Then this guy infuriates me:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/biweekly-vs-bimonthly-paychecks-24145.html
I can understand ambiguity in how to use bi-, but this guy uses it both ways (pun unintended). He describes biweekly payments as every two weeks but bimonthly payments as twice a month. Much nerd rage.
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Then this guy infuriates me:
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/biweekly-vs-bimonthly-paychecks-24145.html
I can understand ambiguity in how to use bi-, but this guy uses it both ways (pun unintended). He describes biweekly payments as every two weeks but bimonthly payments as twice a month. Much nerd rage.
Yeah that's pretty terrible. Also, the very idea of giving those pros and cons leads to a terrible mindset for financial advice. If you care about receiving paychecks on time to pay your bills; you should be handling your money better.
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Yep. Bimonthly should be every two months, semimonthly should be twice a month, but English is stupid, and even smart English speakers therefore do stupid things (like making biennial and biannual mean two different things, or bimonthly mean two different things).
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Yeah, this problem is literally the worst thing that has happened to me. I hope I don't have to deal with it before next Friday.
I agree.
Now I have to question everyone who says something is bimonthly or biweekly?
Avoid ambiguity- say twice a month, every other week etc.
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Yeah, this problem is literally the worst thing that has happened to me. I hope I don't have to deal with it before next Friday.
This post got more upvotes than I would have expected. Am I missing anything?
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Yeah, this problem is literally the worst thing that has happened to me. I hope I don't have to deal with it before next Friday.
This post got more upvotes than I would have expected. Am I missing anything?
GendoIkari is making fun of Kuildeous' outrage about inaccurate use of words by jokingly referring to two other popular cases of inaccurate word use: One is the use of "literally" in its opposite meaning of figuratively - originally an ironic use that has become so commonplace that people think it's how it is meant to be used -, and the unclarity of "next [weekday]", which is used by some to mean "the next time that particular day comes around" and by others as "this day in the week after the current one".
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Yeah, this problem is literally the worst thing that has happened to me. I hope I don't have to deal with it before next Friday.
This post got more upvotes than I would have expected. Am I missing anything?
GendoIkari is making fun of Kuildeous' outrage about inaccurate use of words by jokingly referring to two other popular cases of inaccurate word use: One is the use of "literally" in its opposite meaning of figuratively - originally an ironic use that has become so commonplace that people think it's how it is meant to be used -, and the unclarity of "next [weekday]", which is used by some to mean "the next time that particular day comes around" and by others as "this day in the week after the current one".
I had better go and upvote GendoIkari's post now, because it has been explained, and is therefore funnier.
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people literally use literally in the literally opposite way it's supposed to.
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Apparently, "literally" is not as misused as I had thought: https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/literally-centuries-of-non-literal-literally/
How can I bust someone's chops for using "literally" as "figuratively" when Bronte, Dickens, and Joyce have all used it that way?
This week may have literally blown my mind now.
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Yeah, this problem is literally the worst thing that has happened to me. I hope I don't have to deal with it before next Friday.
This post got more upvotes than I would have expected. Am I missing anything?
GendoIkari is making fun of Kuildeous' outrage about inaccurate use of words by jokingly referring to two other popular cases of inaccurate word use: One is the use of "literally" in its opposite meaning of figuratively - originally an ironic use that has become so commonplace that people think it's how it is meant to be used -, and the unclarity of "next [weekday]", which is used by some to mean "the next time that particular day comes around" and by others as "this day in the week after the current one".
I had better go and upvote GendoIkari's post now, because it has been explained, and is therefore funnier.
Of course, now that it is Friday, 'next Friday' only has one (literal) interpretation. So that means his post has become, err, less funny, or maybe more funny, I'm not sure.
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Yeah, this problem is literally the worst thing that has happened to me. I hope I don't have to deal with it before next Friday.
This post got more upvotes than I would have expected. Am I missing anything?
GendoIkari is making fun of Kuildeous' outrage about inaccurate use of words by jokingly referring to two other popular cases of inaccurate word use: One is the use of "literally" in its opposite meaning of figuratively - originally an ironic use that has become so commonplace that people think it's how it is meant to be used -, and the unclarity of "next [weekday]", which is used by some to mean "the next time that particular day comes around" and by others as "this day in the week after the current one".
I'm just glad both reference were caught!
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Yeah, this problem is literally the worst thing that has happened to me. I hope I don't have to deal with it before next Friday.
This post got more upvotes than I would have expected. Am I missing anything?
GendoIkari is making fun of Kuildeous' outrage about inaccurate use of words by jokingly referring to two other popular cases of inaccurate word use: One is the use of "literally" in its opposite meaning of figuratively - originally an ironic use that has become so commonplace that people think it's how it is meant to be used -, and the unclarity of "next [weekday]", which is used by some to mean "the next time that particular day comes around" and by others as "this day in the week after the current one".
I'm just glad both reference were caught!
It was bireferential.
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Yeah, this problem is literally the worst thing that has happened to me. I hope I don't have to deal with it before next Friday.
This post got more upvotes than I would have expected. Am I missing anything?
GendoIkari is making fun of Kuildeous' outrage about inaccurate use of words by jokingly referring to two other popular cases of inaccurate word use: One is the use of "literally" in its opposite meaning of figuratively - originally an ironic use that has become so commonplace that people think it's how it is meant to be used -, and the unclarity of "next [weekday]", which is used by some to mean "the next time that particular day comes around" and by others as "this day in the week after the current one".
I'm just glad both reference were caught!
And yet only one grammatical error in that post?
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Apparently, "literally" is not as misused as I had thought: https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/literally-centuries-of-non-literal-literally/
How can I bust someone's chops for using "literally" as "figuratively" when Bronte, Dickens, and Joyce have all used it that way?
This week may have literally blown my mind now.
This message never sinks through, but in fact no-one ever uses "literally" to mean "figuratively." No-one ever does that, not ever. People use "literally" to exaggerate. If I say, "I ate a million pickles," I am exaggerating. If I say, "I literally ate a million pickles," I am still exaggerating; I have not shifted to meaning "I figuratively ate a million pickles." That word "literally" isn't me pointing out that I'm being figurative; it's me exaggerating even more.
These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it stillactually means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
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that ship sailed even earlier.
Literally.
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
But if I literally ate a million pickles, that doesn't mean I actually ate a million pickles.
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
But if I literally ate a million pickles, that doesn't mean I actually ate a million pickles.
If you literally ate a million pickles, you would be some kind of machine for trolling forums and eating pickles.
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
But if I literally ate a million pickles, that doesn't mean I actually ate a million pickles.
If you literally ate a million pickles, you would be some kind of machine for trolling forums and eating pickles.
Oh man I should have gone on to say, "and you're all out of pickles."
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
No, I mean what I said. Maybe people use "actually" instead of "literally" because it hasn't lost its meaning like "literally" has, not because people complain about one and not the other.
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
No, I mean what I said. Maybe people use "actually" instead of "literally" because it hasn't lost its meaning like "literally" has, not because people complain about one and not the other.
I don't know what meaning of "literally" you think "literally" no longer has.
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Literally in this context has virtually no meaning apart from emphasis, just like swear words when they are used as adjectives or adverbs.
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
I believe the use of "literal", to mean word-for-word, is still firmly in port, so I think it unlikely that the corresponding meaning of "literally" has quite rounded Cape Horn yet.
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Apparently, "literally" is not as misused as I had thought: https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/literally-centuries-of-non-literal-literally/
How can I bust someone's chops for using "literally" as "figuratively" when Bronte, Dickens, and Joyce have all used it that way?
This week may have literally blown my mind now.
This message never sinks through, but in fact no-one ever uses "literally" to mean "figuratively." No-one ever does that, not ever. People use "literally" to exaggerate. If I say, "I ate a million pickles," I am exaggerating. If I say, "I literally ate a million pickles," I am still exaggerating; I have not shifted to meaning "I figuratively ate a million pickles." That word "literally" isn't me pointing out that I'm being figurative; it's me exaggerating even more.
Yeah that is totally true.
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
I believe the use of "literal", to mean word-for-word, is still firmly in port, so I think it unlikely that the corresponding meaning of "literally" has quite rounded Cape Horn yet.
I don't know what you mean by this. I don't know what you are referring to when you say "the corresponding meaning of literally," or how you are using your metaphors. My best guess is that you are saying that non-"word-for-word" uses of "literally" must be lacking legitimacy due to the continued use of "literally" in the "word-for-word" sense; that doesn't make any sense though, lots of words mean more than one thing with ease.
I don't mind if you don't wish to explain yourself, or if LF doesn't; I am just telling you, that is how the communication has gone so far. All I can do is try to interpret the words that appear on my monitor.
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
No, I mean what I said.
Do you mean to say that you were being literal?
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If you literally ate a million pickles, you would be some kind of machine for trolling forums and eating pickles.
This is literally the best thing I've ever read.
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Language is alive and has been for thousands of years and isn't ever ever going to conform to your rules regardless of how logical you insist that they are.
People complain about literally being used as exaggeration but never have a problem with "really" being used in similar ways. But, like, what do you think "really" started out as meaning? It's got a big hint right there in the spelling.
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Language is alive and has been for thousands of years and isn't ever ever going to conform to your rules regardless of how logical you insist that they are.
People complain about literally being used as exaggeration but never have a problem with "really" being used in similar ways. But, like, what do you think "really" started out as meaning? It's got a big hint right there in the spelling.
Really?
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Also pretty sure I disagree with DXV on the figurative thing. In the sentence "He is literally the devil," "literally" is being used figuratively.
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Also pretty sure I disagree with DXV on the figurative thing. In the sentence "He is literally the devil," "literally" is being used figuratively.
What if you're actually talking about the devil?
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Also pretty sure I disagree with DXV on the figurative thing. In the sentence "He is literally the devil," "literally" is being used figuratively.
What if you're actually talking about the devil?
You mean if I'm literally referring to the devil?
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Then you would say, "He is actually literally the devil."
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Then you would say, "He is actually literally the devil."
I think "literally actually" is the standard the Times uses.
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Language is alive and has been for thousands of years and isn't ever ever going to conform to your rules regardless of how logical you insist that they are.
Agree. If you want a logical language, learn a programming language.
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No, I mean what I said. Maybe people use "actually" instead of "literally" because it hasn't lost its meaning like "literally" has, not because people complain about one and not the other.
I do not know what meaning you are saying "literally" has lost. As far as I can tell it means all of the things it's ever meant.
Edit: oops I said this already.
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Also pretty sure I disagree with DXV on the figurative thing. In the sentence "He is literally the devil," "literally" is being used figuratively.
Using "literally" figuratively does not mean using "literally" to mean "figuratively."
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Also pretty sure I disagree with DXV on the figurative thing. In the sentence "He is literally the devil," "literally" is being used figuratively.
Using "literally" figuratively does not mean using "literally" to mean "figuratively."
This is fair.
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Also pretty sure I disagree with DXV on the figurative thing. In the sentence "He is literally the devil," "literally" is being used figuratively.
Using "literally" figuratively does not mean using "literally" to mean "figuratively."
I actually didn't get what you were saying until you worded it this way.
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Also pretty sure I disagree with DXV on the figurative thing. In the sentence "He is literally the devil," "literally" is being used figuratively.
Using "literally" figuratively does not mean using "literally" to mean "figuratively."
I actually didn't get what you were saying until you worded it this way.
Right, like when someone says "I literally ate a million pickles" they don't mean "I figuratively ate a million pickles" because likely no one ever would say the second one. It might even be true, in contrast to the first, but it's not what they intended to say.
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Just in case anyone is wondering: on average a person would have to eat about 28 pickles a day to literally eat one million pickles in a life time
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Just in case anyone is wondering: on average a person would have to eat about 28 pickles a day to literally eat one million pickles in a life time
Hey, that's actually doable! How healthy are pickles?
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Just in case anyone is wondering: on average a person would have to eat about 28 pickles a day to literally eat one million pickles in a life time
Hey, that's actually doable! How healthy are pickles?
Not a good source of calories, actually. You'd need to eat other stuff. But you'd be getting a lot of salt from all those pickles. Dangerous levels I think.
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Literally in this context has virtually no meaning apart from emphasis, just like swear words when they are used as adjectives or adverbs.
This is fucking literally the best fucking thing in this thread.
Language is alive and has been for thousands of years and isn't ever ever going to conform to your rules regardless of how logical you insist that they are.
Agree. If you want a logical language, learn a programming language.
Yes. Start with Brainfuck. Good luck.
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If you're going to learn a programming language, learn Arnold C (https://github.com/lhartikk/ArnoldC[/url). Literally the best programming language ever, literally.
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Literally in this context has virtually no meaning apart from emphasis, just like swear words when they are used as adjectives or adverbs.
This is fucking literally the best fucking thing in this thread.
Did you not see the post about the machine for eating pickles and trolling forums?
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I don't follow you. It's the same. In "I ate a million pickles," "a million" means "a million," even though I did not eat a million pickles. In "I literally ate a million pickles," "literally" means "literally" (in the sense of "actually," not, "word-for-word"). In "I actually ate a million pickles," "actually" means "actually."
If you are saying "literally should only mean word-for-word," well that ship sailed even earlier.
I believe the use of "literal", to mean word-for-word, is still firmly in port, so I think it unlikely that the corresponding meaning of "literally" has quite rounded Cape Horn yet.
I don't know what you mean by this. I don't know what you are referring to when you say "the corresponding meaning of literally," or how you are using your metaphors. My best guess is that you are saying that non-"word-for-word" uses of "literally" must be lacking legitimacy due to the continued use of "literally" in the "word-for-word" sense; that doesn't make any sense though, lots of words mean more than one thing with ease.
I don't mind if you don't wish to explain yourself, or if LF doesn't; I am just telling you, that is how the communication has gone so far. All I can do is try to interpret the words that appear on my monitor.
Ok, I get it now. I misunderstood you first time. I thought you were saying 'literally ceased to mean word-for-word long ago' whereas in fact you were saying 'literally ceased to only mean word-for-word long ago.' You used the word 'only' and everything, I just missed it, sorry.
I think LF's point, which I agree with, is that if (somehow) I ate a million pickles I would probably want to tell someone. But how? People would think I was exaggerating. Add 'literally' and people would still think I was exaggerating. Use 'actually' instead and well maybe I might start to convince people.
Anyway, time to eat some pickles and head over to the brag board.
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These days sometimes people use "actually" to mean "literally," because no-one complains about that yet.
Or maybe because it still means what it's supposed to mean, unlike "literally"?
I see I see. When I said "These days sometimes people use actually to mean literally," what I meant was, these days sometimes people use the word "actually" to exaggerate. Because no-one complains about that yet. I see how that was confusing. But I mean. I wouldn't have thought to say that people use "actually" to mean "actually." Of course they do.
Living in the woods
Shia LaBeouf
Killing for sport
Shia LaBeouf
Eating all the bodies
Actual cannibal Shia LaBeouf
Rob Cantor - Shia LaBeouf
And if you haven't seen the video, go see it right now.
if (somehow) I ate a million pickles I would probably want to tell someone. But how? People would think I was exaggerating. Add 'literally' and people would still think I was exaggerating. Use 'actually' instead and well maybe I might start to convince people.
The real world has no such problem; it is purely imaginary. When you are exaggerating and use the word "literally," you already have an over-the-top exaggeration, e.g. "a million pickles." You can't eat a million pickles; if you say you literally ate a million pickles, it is absolutely clear that you are exaggerating. When you want to stress that something actually happened, the number will not defy reality; it will not be the kind of number you use to exaggerate. Or you know, the non-number, whatever it is.
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these days sometimes people use the word "actually" to exaggerate.
Wow, yes, people do use 'actually' that way. It hadn't really registered with me before.
Ah what a sorry state. Words' usages developing to include their opposite meanings. Nothing new, I know, but it does seem to be an one-way trend.
Someone once said 'let your yes be yes and your no be no'. That sounds like a more healthy way forward.
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Literally has become a marker word for hyperbole. A lot of people have troubles pickling up hyperbole and irony, particularly in written form, so it serves a noble purpose in the grand scheme of communication in English.
Of course in literature it's a bit stale, to put it gently. (Euphemism)
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Ah what a sorry state. Words' usages developing to include their opposite meanings. Nothing new, I know, but it does seem to be an one-way trend.
Like when inflammable means flammable. #cueDrNick
That word really bugs me.
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I think the problem with that is that "flammable" shouldn't be a word. Something "inflammable" is something that you can "inflame".
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So, Awaclus came to troll the forum and eat pickles, and he's all out of pickles?
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The fact that "trolling" has lost its original meaning is the worst though.
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The fact that "trolling" has lost its original meaning is the worst though.
Reclaim the word.
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The fact that "trolling" has literally lost its original meaning is the worst though.
FTFY
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The fact that "trolling" has literally lost its original meaning is the worst though.
FTFY
It literally changes bimonthly.
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"Up for" and "down for" mean the same thing.
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Tear and tear are pronounced differently, but tear and tier are pronounced the same.
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Tear and tear are pronounced differently, but tear and tier are pronounced the same.
Tears me up.