RE: Sections of songs that make you freeze in joy
July 9, 2019 at 12:21 pm
(This post was last modified: July 9, 2019 at 12:22 pm by BrianSoddingBoru4.)
(July 9, 2019 at 11:49 am)AtlasS33 Wrote:(July 7, 2019 at 9:34 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: There is no hidden meaning. It means 'exactly' or 'in actuality' or 'in a literal sense'. Unless Mayer lit the place on fire, he didn't 'literally' burn it.
Boru
what I meant is very obvious. It's like title "Hunger Games: Girl on Fire"
She is not on "real fire", as it is obvious.
But it would be very normal if somebody said "but Nancy; she was on ffffffffffffffffffffiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire; literally; Gosh..".
It's the use of the word 'literally' that makes all the difference. If we say, 'Nancy is on fire!!! ', it is clearly a euphemism for any of a number of things. If we say, 'Nancy is literally on fire!!' she's either doing a fire-walking ceremony or needs immediate medical attention.
'Literally' might very well be the most misused word in the English language.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson