Support NeoGAF

[ZealousD]

Auto-antonyms are hardly a new concept.

It doesn't make them a good one. Especially in the case of "literally" where you can't always tell from the context.

 

[MetatronM]

Trump throwing around the word "disloyal" like he's a mob boss

The dude basically ran Atlantic City for years. He practically IS a mob boss.

 

[Banjo Tango]

Context is key.

Besides, the word "literally" and "literal" did not originally mean "actually", it just meant "of or pertaining to letters or to writing". Why do you want to use the term literally for something besides its original use? Oh right, because words evolve.

Context is often not very clear with this word.

Also, point me to another word that means the same thing and I'll stop not-literally dying on this hill. 'Actually' is close, but seems to ignore the figurative meaning instead of complementing it.

Words change, but in this case the language seems poorer for it... and I say this as a Saffire-hating descriptivist.

Have we had a "literally" thread? I should probably stop shitting up this one...


Edit - chose exactly the wrong word. Is that irony?

 

[Banjo Tango]

It's hilarious but also terrifying that someone so petty who sounds like a mob boss when talks about people being "disloyal" has a chance of becoming arguably the most powerful person in the world.

On the plus side, if he gets crushed in the GE it would hopefully send a signal that we aren't having this BS.

 

[Sapiens]

Not the most democratic of thoughts, but whoever votes for Trump should be stripped of their rights to vote.

Hey guys, this democrat wants to take away my right to vote. I'm going to tell everyone I know that this is how democrats feel. They want to remove my right to vote because they don't agree with me.

 

[Caja 117]

Is not Terrifying or Weird that people like Donapd Trump exist, but it is terrifiying that a portion of the population are ok with him being President.

 

[BFIB]

Lawsuit to Tony Schwartz incoming.

"I don't know where he gets his information from. He's a nutcase. Crazy Tony is what he was called while assisting me with my book "Art of the deal". Which by the way is selling higher than it ever has. Great book. But Crazy Tony is delusional. He thinks he wrote the book, but he wrote my life. How great of a businessman I am. I'm good at business, I have many, many deals over the years to prove that. Crazy Tony, I feel sorry for him."

 

[numble]

Context is often not very clear with this word.

Also, point me to another word that means the same thing and I'll stop not-literally dying on this hill. 'Actually' is close, but seems to ignore the figurative meaning instead of complementing it.

Words change, but in this case the language seems poorer for it... and I say this as a Saffire-hating descriptivist.

Have we had a "literally" thread? I should probably stop shitting up this one...


Edit - chose exactly the wrong word. Is that irony?

You can use seriously, factually, actually, honest-to-god, objectively, really, truly, certainly, etc. But you'll probably soon recognize that people use those words to mean figuratively as well!

I do not know what you mean by "ignore the figurative meaning instead of complementing it".

The language is not poorer for it, I do not know how Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and Louisa May Alcott made the language poorer for using the word in such a way. Most people would say these authors have added to the English language.

As the editor at large of the Oxford English Dictionary says:

The one sensible criticism of the way `literally' is often used is that it can lead to confusing or silly-sounding results. In this case, the answer is simple. Don't write silly-soundingly.

In fact, he points out that the meaning that you ascribe to "literally" is already a figurative use of the word.

In fact, the literal meaning of `literal' is something like `according to the letter.' So when we use `literally' to refer to something other than individual letters, we're already walking down the figurative path.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4988053

 

[Palette Swap]

In 1985, he’d published a piece in New York called “A Different Kind of Donald Trump Story,” which portrayed him not as a brilliant mogul but as a ham-fisted thug who had unsuccessfully tried to evict rent-controlled and rent-stabilized tenants from a building that he had bought on Central Park South. Trump’s efforts—which included a plan to house homeless people in the building in order to harass the tenants—became what Schwartz described as a “fugue of failure, a farce of fumbling and bumbling.”

This is so Trump.

 

[PreFire]

This is great. I believe every word.

But, Trump supporters will still support the scumbag. I think Jimmy Kimmel asked random supporters what would make them stop supporting trump, and most of them said nothing or outlandish things. Not even murder would change their minds

Fucking nutcases

 

[Bladenic]

This guy better hope Trump ain't gonna be president, or it's straight to prison for him.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

When Roy Cohn thought that you were an asshole...

Seriously.
The only thing I know about Cohn is that movie with James Woods

 

[Lord Frieza]

There's some really chilling stuff in there.

 

[Lime]

https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/755916351621910528

JUST IN: Trump organization sent cease and desist letter to "Art of the Deal" ghostwriter

 

[Silver Arrows]

https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/755916351621910528

gee no surprise there

trump got pissy once again

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/755916351621910528

He doesn't seem concerned, just dick waving nonsense to try and shut him up. Paying back all his royalties since original publication lmao gimme a break.

 

[HeisenbergLannister]

Too many people let them xenophobia and racism cloud their judgment into supporting Trump, so they couldn't give a shit less about the actual person and what he's like.

Yet they'll act like Hilary is the devil in sheep's clothing.

Both candidates are pretty bottom of the barrel.