literally, again

[W Brewer]

Sounds -moronic, oxy-wise:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veritable
<a veritable mountain of references> (VERITABLE: being in fact the thing
named and not false, unreal, or imaginary - often used to stress the
aptness of a metaphor.)


On Wed, May 15, 2013 at 12:00 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: literally, again
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On May 14, 2013, at 11:51 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
>
> > People get upset about the strangest things...
> >
> > http://goo.gl/iAzAj
> >
> > No, not spam--a BuzzFeed piece on "literally".
> >
> >    VS-)
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> 'But since more and more people are using the wrong “literally,”
> dictionaries are starting to add the wrong definition to their entries for
> “literally.”'
>
> --like the OED, with cites dating back to the 18th c.,
>
> c. colloq. Used to indicate that some (freq. conventional) metaphorical or
> hyperbolical expression is to be taken in the strongest admissible sense:
> ‘virtually, as good as’; (also) ‘completely, utterly, absolutely’...
>
> 1769   F. Brooke Hist. Emily Montague IV. ccxvii. 83   He is a fortunate
> man to be introduced to such a party of fine women at his arrival; it is
> literally to feed among the lilies.
> 1801   Spirit of Farmers' Museum 262   He is, literally, made up of
> marechal powder, cravat, and bootees.
> 1825   J. Denniston Legends Galloway 99   Lady Kirkclaugh, who, literally
> worn to a shadow, died of a broken heart.
> 1863   F. A. Kemble Jrnl. Resid. Georgian Plantation 105   For the last
> four years..I literally coined money.
> 1876   ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Tom Sawyer ii. 20   And when the middle of
> the afternoon came, from being a poor poverty-stricken boy in the morning,
> Tom was literally rolling in wealth.
>
> (Nice images for the BuzzFeed!)
>
> And then there's Jesse's nice Slate piece,
> http://www.slate.com/id/2129105/, about which I'm sure BuzzFeed could
> care less.
>
> LH
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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