Rick Palkovic sends a few that were missed by previous contributors:<\/p>\n
\nLiterally:<\/strong> I’m hearing this used as an all-around intensifier,
\nusually when the speaker means just its opposite: figuratively. I
\nonce heard political commentator say: “Congressional leaders
\nliterally held a gun to the President’s head!” Don’t we have
\nlaws against this sort of thing?<\/li>\nEt al:<\/strong> Everyone seems to be using this when they mean “etc.”
\nThey seem to think it sounds more intelligent. Better not to use either,
\nof course, but use “et al.” for people; “etc.”
\nfor things.<\/li>\nWorld-class:<\/strong> A term favored by PR flacks when a more accurate
\ndescription is usually “barely competent.”<\/li>\nEndangered species:<\/strong> When all the loggers in the Northwest
\nlose their jobs, they just have to find other jobs — they aren’t
\ndead, and neither are their relatives, much less the whole human race.
\nCasual metaphoric use of this phrase trivializes the enormity of driving
\na species into extinction.<\/li>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rick Palkovic sends a few that were missed by previous contributors: Literally: I’m hearing this used as an all-around intensifier, usually when the speaker means just its opposite: figuratively. I once heard political commentator say: “Congressional leaders literally held a … Continue reading