A friend, knowing my pedantic tendencies, sent me this.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/9137930/Meaning-of-literally-shrinking-away.html
I'm not sure that "epidemic" is the correct word either though.
Your thoughts Biscuits?
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The All New Jeni B
offlineMemberPosted 1 year ago # -
But if you use it accurately, you sound a bit odd too.
Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, correctly used the word to describe high earners when he said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph: "You see people literally in larger houses, who are paying extraordinarily low rates of tax."
Posted 1 year ago # -
The All New Jeni B
offlineMemberHow does Kelly feel about people volonte in her other parts?
Mind you, if there's a full argent Palladium hardware, I'm sure she won't complain.
Posted 1 year ago # -
beau-jolly
offlineMemberOne that iritates me but shouldn't is the use of liaison as an adverb or a verb. "I was liaising with..." "I liaised..." NO! The word is a bloody noun. "I was having a liaison with..." "I had a liaison".
My job description once was "...liaising with the central buying group." I am sure it should have been "Being the point of liaison ..." so I spent the year being paid for just liaising about.BTW. Shouldn't that be "Pedant tendancies" Jeni?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Son of Barnabas
offlineMemberSorry to be pedantic bj, but that should be "tendencies" shurely?
(Check it out)While I'm on, the tautology that literally gets my goat is the traffic reporter on the radio who says "there is a 3 mile holdup on the M1 heading northbound" GRRRRRR!!!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
beau-jolly
offlineMemberBarny you are right my spelling is shite!
However! Sorry to be a pedant but I think held up traffic heading northbound would be an oximoron. A tautology would be held up, stationary traffic.For all you grammar fans:
Finding gerunds is easy, anacoluthons were harder.Posted 1 year ago # -
beau-jolly
offlineMemberI am shite at spelling; See above. All the same, it rather takes the wind out of my sails. Arse!
Posted 1 year ago # -
fernandomando
offlineMemberI have been amused by this for some time. About 12 years ago I used to literally laugh until I died with a friend of mine about my brother's unwittingly metaphorical use of the word 'literally'.
This whole debate is literally an example of a lesser known linguistic scepticism about the use of metaphor. All metaphors are, literally, either literally false or trivially true. It is very difficult to rationally describe what metaphors mean, even though we actually know how they are used and what that illustrates. If the meaning depends on the use, and the useage changes, it might become very difficult to communicate at all.
That said, imagine the literal horror felt by those who listened to early poets. Who would have thought that a river had a mouth. They must have hoped that it did not eat them. Literally.
Posted 1 year ago # -
beau-jolly
offlineMemberFernado: Eh?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Son of Barnabas
offlineMemberbj I hate to cavil, and be even more of a pedant, but I beg to differ.
The definition of oxymoron: a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in "cruel kindness" or "to make haste slowly."
The definition of tautology: A phrase or expression in which the same thing is said twice in different words.
So "Heading northbound" I would humbly submit IS tautology because "northbound" means heading north, therefore either the "heading" or the "bound" are superfluous, being the same thing said twice in different words.
("Northbound to a green and pleasant land" would have been an oxymoron, since any fule no that the north is full of dark satanic mills)
Posted 1 year ago # -
beau-jolly
offlineMemberI see, I think. I though you were refering to the fact that they were saying the traffic was both heading and bound while being still which would be a tautological oxymoron of sorts.
Posted 1 year ago # -
beau-jolly
offlineMemberCan we settle on oxy-tortoise? I rather like that - except I now have to clear up the nose coffee.
Posted 1 year ago # -
beau-jolly
offlineMemberThey could always say "left-hand side" unless you were facing the other way of course
Posted 1 year ago # -
seymour totti
offlineMemberMandy - I'm with you there.
I despise those throw-away sayings like "Fairly Unique" or "Let me be totally honest with you". That grates in two ways. The person is suggesting that, before this point, they had been lying to me. Secondly, the word "totally" is wasted. If you are being partially honest, you are not being honest. You are lying!
You also see American TV previews saying "All New Episodes". If something is new, it is completely new. By saying "All New", are they suggesting there are other shows which are only "Partially New" or "Includes recycled old junk that you may have seen before".
That's enough now Seymour. Back in your box old chap!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I am yet to hear foreground used as a verb but I'm sure it won't be long before I do.
Reminds me of a nice little statement I heard somewhere - "Any word can be verbed".
Posted 1 year ago # -
Brilliant Golgo, where's that from?
Posted 1 year ago #
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