You know, that feeling that makes you want to say, "Oh yeah, what kind of broom did he use?", or "OMG a zombie!!!" - well it turns out that while we were busy correcting everyone's speech someone came along and actually changed the definition of the word….
Do a search for the word "literally" and this is what you'll find:
lit-er-al-ly
/ˈlitərəlē/
Adverb
1. In a literal manner or sense; exactly: "the driver took it literally when asked to go straight over the traffic circle".
2. Used to acknowledge that something is not literally true but is used for emphasis or to express strong feeling.
And there it is. Everything I've been mocking Chris Traeger from Parks and Recreation for has been a lie, according to definition two (which I'm pretty sure wasn't always there…was it?).
Still, it's fun to think of the things Chris Traeger and other people say when they use the word literally, whether they mean them literally or not.
"I can literally see my face in my shoes."
"Every time I cleanse, I can literally feel the toxins leaving my body."
Or my favourite,
"My body is finely tuned, like a microchip, and the flu is like a grain of sand. It could literally shut down the entire system."
Still wondering who Chris Traeger is? Check out the video below with a collection of (literally) some of his best quotes - and try not to wince as he abuses the word "literally" as only he can.