I am literally a bonehead
People tend to overuse that word (Literally) in casual conversation and writing. In 1991, my Commandant of Cadets at Indiana U. was telling me how bad training camp used to be and how the "drill sergeants made your life a living hell and literally crapped on you." I paused and contemplated his words, and then said, "They didn't literally crap on you..." He was being metaphorical. I understand. But he insinuated his example was actual and factual. (This is also the same man who said we should "always strive, in our careers, to get the fresh poop straight from the horse's mouth.") So I protest. In life. Champion of literal literal causes.
It really annoys people, too.
For instance, the title of this here blog entry: while I do believe I have intelligence above that of the median ursine picnicker, I do happen to also have a very large, if malleable in my case, bone in my head. So call me that if you will. I also just think I'm more literal than most people are comfortable with which.
For another example: this weekend, I flew home so My Pregnant Wife and I could attend a 28-week pregnancy course at Fort Belvoir, where she will probably give birth, assuming they're not full at the time. (Tip of the day: "Full" is "plein" in French which can also mean "pregnant," so teenage daughters or exchange students need to be careful at their french dinnertables.)
We watched a couple videos and discussed some of the various decisions we'd have to make (keep the cord blood? get an epidural? bring Metallica CDs?), and got a quick tour of the delivery rooms and post-pardum & nursery areas. We met an anesthesiologist, who was trying to allay fears about pain medication's effects on the mother or the baby, so he asked the room who had previously had an epidural, and I raised my hand.
Now. People think I was being a smart-ass. I have had 3 epidural injections, though the room didn't need to know my life story, particularly the spanish-speaking woman in the altogether inappropriately low-cut shirt. But I'm not going to lie to the man. I'm an Air Force officer.
If he'd wanted to know which women in the room had had an epidural, he could have said.
Literally.
'sall I'm saying.
It really annoys people, too.
For instance, the title of this here blog entry: while I do believe I have intelligence above that of the median ursine picnicker, I do happen to also have a very large, if malleable in my case, bone in my head. So call me that if you will. I also just think I'm more literal than most people are comfortable with which.
For another example: this weekend, I flew home so My Pregnant Wife and I could attend a 28-week pregnancy course at Fort Belvoir, where she will probably give birth, assuming they're not full at the time. (Tip of the day: "Full" is "plein" in French which can also mean "pregnant," so teenage daughters or exchange students need to be careful at their french dinnertables.)
We watched a couple videos and discussed some of the various decisions we'd have to make (keep the cord blood? get an epidural? bring Metallica CDs?), and got a quick tour of the delivery rooms and post-pardum & nursery areas. We met an anesthesiologist, who was trying to allay fears about pain medication's effects on the mother or the baby, so he asked the room who had previously had an epidural, and I raised my hand.
Now. People think I was being a smart-ass. I have had 3 epidural injections, though the room didn't need to know my life story, particularly the spanish-speaking woman in the altogether inappropriately low-cut shirt. But I'm not going to lie to the man. I'm an Air Force officer.
If he'd wanted to know which women in the room had had an epidural, he could have said.
Literally.
'sall I'm saying.
posted by Dan at 1:48 PM
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