I’m Literally Going to Be Sick

by | Writing Tips | 16 comments

I am.

Next time I hear someone say “His performance like literally blew me away”. . . . or. . . . “I was so embarrassed, I literally died,” I’m going to puke my guts out — figuratively speaking.

I am sick to death (NOT literally), of the misappropriation of this word, which literally means ‘actually’.

So no, you didn’t actually die when you made a complete tit of yourself.

I know we can all cite examples from Dickens or Joyce: “A thrill went through the packed court, literally electrifying everybody”. But in this example, Joyce is using the word to mean: ‘in effect’ or ‘virtually’, which is the alternative and sometimes controversial meaning.

(My take is that if you are Joyce or Dickens, the English language is perfectly safe in your hands and any use of the word ‘literally’ is acceptable.)

But when it’s used to shovel on the intensity as a lazy alternative to ‘trust-me-I’m-not-shitting-you’, it becomes pure overkill.

I get it. “I’ve seen that show like literally a thousand times,” has way more oomph than “Yeah, I’ve seen that show before.”

And I know that literally all modern dictionaries now define it as an acceptable form of expressing emphasis or strong feelings.

But the redundant misuse of this poor, overworked, dog-eared word has to stop.

Or I will literally explode.

Cheers, Mel

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash. Thanks, Jon

16 Comments

  1. Mindy
    Mindy on 28 April 2019 at 9:58 am

    Me too!!

    Reply
    • Mel Wicks
      Mel Wicks on 30 April 2019 at 9:24 am

      Haha. I’m glad I’m not the only one.

      Reply
  2. John Mac
    John Mac on 28 April 2019 at 12:18 pm

    One of my pet peeves!

    Reply
    • Mel Wicks
      Mel Wicks on 30 April 2019 at 9:24 am

      It’s SO annoying, isn’t it!

      Reply
  3. Patrick Spence
    Patrick Spence on 28 April 2019 at 4:53 pm

    I feel the same way. Literally.

    Reply
    • Mel Wicks
      Mel Wicks on 30 April 2019 at 9:23 am

      Thanks, Patrick

      Reply
  4. laila embelton
    laila embelton on 28 April 2019 at 5:34 pm

    I totally, literally, agree with you Mel.

    from a fan of your blogs

    Reply
    • Mel Wicks
      Mel Wicks on 30 April 2019 at 9:22 am

      Thanks, Laila. I totally, literally appreciate it!

      Reply
  5. Rajat Chauhan
    Rajat Chauhan on 15 July 2019 at 10:16 pm

    Hi, Mel.

    ‘Aha’ is the word for your writing, I was wondering by looking at the title, but when I get inside- I went through and I get straight to the right.That’s how you make readers to understand your points and I’m sure it won’t make you sick as Dickens made his point,” No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
    I get to know about your blog through Jon’s masterpiece SmartBlogger and now I’ll make sure to visit again and again.
    Thanks you again Mel.
    -@RajatChauhan

    Reply
    • Mel Wicks
      Mel Wicks on 3 August 2019 at 1:53 pm

      Thanks for your kind words, Rajat

      Reply
  6. andymark
    andymark on 29 July 2019 at 9:08 pm

    I Really liked your post and you this blog,thanks for the awesome blog.
    Game Lover

    Reply
    • Mel Wicks
      Mel Wicks on 3 August 2019 at 1:47 pm

      Thanks, glad you like it.

      Reply
  7. doc johnson
    doc johnson on 4 October 2019 at 5:58 am

    Very informative article.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.

    Reply
    • Mel Wicks
      Mel Wicks on 5 January 2020 at 3:00 pm

      Thanks, Doc

      Reply
  8. Lloyd Meshanko
    Lloyd Meshanko on 4 November 2020 at 9:37 am

    I simply want to tell you that I am just all new to blogging and truly loved your blog. Probably I’m going to bookmark your blog . You really have beneficial posts. Kudos for sharing your blog site.

    Reply
    • Mel Wicks
      Mel Wicks on 11 November 2020 at 2:59 pm

      Thanks Lloyd. Glad to see you here

      Reply

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