Literally

Today, I'm literally dead on my feet!

Yes, mrsmopp, it literally gets up my nose too.

Annoys me too mrsmopp.

Hope your cough etc will resolve soon rose.

Thanks Mishap seeing GP tomorrow, hoping for anti-biotics to clear it up.
If he won't prescribe them I may literally blow my top. [sorry!]

I hate the use of the word literally, when it is not used literally! As in oh my gosh, i literally died......erm no.....also hate so I turned around to him and said.....I have this vision of people spinning about talking to each other, like ( another word used out of context and too much)

Unique - a bit, almost, nearly, somewhat, etc. Wrong. Something can only be unique, nothing else.

Unique as in estate agent's descriptions papa, do they really mean this unique house when it is one of 1000 on a housing development?

The use of 'invariably' when the person saying it actually means 'usually'...

Papa - I agree that you can't qualify "unique" but I don't agree that "nearly" or "almost" unique is wrong - I believe you can "approach" uniqueness. If you substitute the phrase "one of a kind" it makes sense. However, a better word would be "distinctive". My pet hate is "less" when it should be "fewer". Oh dear, you've got me started now!

I suppose "quite" (meaning absolutely )unique is tautology but it sounds good and gives emphasis.

What `literally` drives me up the pole is the overuse of the word "absolutely" and often "abso-flippin-lutely" Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

There is a commentator on Eurosport cycling who uses the word "obviously" obsessively. He also says "at this moment in time" instead of now. I find myself counting the times he says it and "obviously" this detracts from the information he is trying to impart!

"Stunning" , really irritates me , every thing these days is "stunning" , not just nice or beautiful ,

'No way' and 'No problem' - I would consign the pair of them to the dustbin. Their constant and often irrelevant use grates, just like the now universal 'Have a nice day' and 'Guy/s'. Bah, humbug I say!

Bah humbug is uniquely annoying to some pedants

bags

It's all too easy to turn into a grumpy old person so I'm going with the flow and letting it all go over my head!

We seem to be mostly on the same page.

Figuratively speaking...

As far as I'm concerned pedants should be ......and then ......ending up with a good......!

mrsmopp Have you been watching --Mr Sloane on TV--Your comments remind me of his character

Its funny because people get annoyed when other people try to correct their English, but I think it is the way you correct someone that matters.

My Mum would always correct me when I said I was washing my teeth--of course that is in correct but she used to say it with such snobbery that I had no desire to be more like her or speak more as she did.

Mr Slaone from the TV series, he corrects people but its ok because he does not do it with a negative attitude.

I am fine with people correcting me if I have said something wrong, unless they are really just trying to give you a complex or es look make themselves feel somehow superior.

PS I actually think its a cute thing to feel you have to correct peoples English and count yourself VERY lucky if you have the time or patience to worry about such things--and I am not being carcastic I am being totaly honest.

No, never heard of Mr Sloane, sorry.
I would not object to anyone saying it's raining cats and dogs as I know it's a figure of speech. The unnecessary use of 'literally' makes the sentence absurd, and it's becoming over used, as other GNs have pointed out with other examples. I did not correct my colleague, as I think it's bad manners.

I think that "literally" as used in the OP example does not mean literally anymore. Literally no-one thinks it does

Here's one to ponder: is one "privileged" if one sees an owl in a tree, or just lucky and pleased?

"Paula"