Word Heroes
As most of you will probably realise by now, I like words. Not exactly a news flash. But unlike some writers, I’m not one of these people who will go after street signs with a red pen. I don’t mind if people write “LOL” or use smiley faces in text, and I don’t even really care if you know the difference between their/they’re/there. Possibly my attitude comes from the fact that I’m not a very good speller myself, and for me, the magic of language comes from how creatively you can abuse it.
All of this preface is to explain why the rest of this post should not be taken as an indicator that I am an ass.
Because, as relaxed as I am about English being a living language, beautiful in its flexibility, like everyone I have my pet peeves. As I’ve said before, sometimes spelling counts and sometimes word choice says more than you think. But the one thing that rather inexplicably gets my goat, so to speak, is the total misuse of the word literally. (Note how I used “so to speak” in that sentence. Remember it.)
We saw a perfect example of this on the 10 O’clock Show, a new comedy-news show, Thursday night. The thing I love about this show is that it’s a perfect blend of real news and hard-hitting sarcasm. Just this week, Sally Bercow, political activist and a wife of Speaker of the House of Commons, said to David Mitchell (on the subject of AV voting system), “This will literally put a rocket up the arse of every Minister in Parliament.”
And much to my delight, Mitchell did not let her get on to see her if her rather provocative statement was going to go somewhere. No, instead, with a barely concealed look of utter amazement he said. “Literally? Wow. That’s really going to change the type of people that run for office in this country.” The entire studio descended into so much laughter, that it pretty much brought the interview to an end.
I can’t explain why the use of the word “literally” to mean “really, really” bugs me so much. It may have to do with the fact that I think if someone is going to abuse the language properly, they should at least know what words mean. Literally means, well, “This is not a metaphor or a figure of speech. I’m ACTUALLY going to stick a rocket up someone’s arse.”
But there is something more than a simple error at play here that is the reason that David Mitchell is my first, but certainly not my last I’m sure, Word Hero. We just don’t challenge politicians and so-called experts enough in our society. How many times have we sat and watched the news and seen the network has brought in some expert who obviously doesn’t know what the hell they’re talking about. This is the reason why when I want to know about the happenings in the Middle East and Asia I watch Al-Jezeera English. Sky and the BBC are just supremely lazy when it comes to finding someone who knows what’s really going on. It seems like they’ll just haul in anyone with a slightly dusky complexion and figure they must be an expert on the Middle East.
But I digress. (That’s so like me.)
I suppose the reason that I’m feeling so enamoured with David Mitchell today, is that he did something that I’ve always wanted to do, but I usually just keep my mouth shut. I would never have the nerve to, on LIVE television, point out that someone had just made themselves look like an idiot. It probably makes me a petty person that I enjoyed it so much, but Oh, I so did.
Question: Are there any misuses of the language that make you laugh or make you what to pluck out your eyelashes one by one? Do you say something when you hear it/see it? Or are you still waiting for your hero too?
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David will do it everytime – I do enjoy watching him – never scared of saying it as it is and this show is a good place for him to be – I saw him describing what the show would be about and you could see the glee of being able to do just that.
one of my peeves is the way we have reduced the language down to catch all words – love is the main one. One word to describe everything from chocolate and handbags to nationlism and parenthood. Love your God, love your blog, love your. . . you get it sorry – it does bother me.
Also ‘die’ – choclolate is not worth dying for (actualy children may well- do in the gathering of it but thats another story) hairdo’s are not for ‘dying’ – death is serious buisness and I do not like the way it has become so obscene, in this world when millions die sometimes in terror, want and fear to ‘die’ for chocolate is bad.
one last one a heavy cold is not flu – now we have people surprised because folk die from ‘flu’ – yes they always have – flu is serious, always has been, a cold is not!
you do not go to work with flu -you can’t because you are ill – with a cold you have a cold. It is because the words are misused that we have a sistuation when the public is taken by srprise at the death toll (simliar to what it has been all my long life!)
rant over – sorry about that – well done on having word heros – keep up the good work – to my mind this is more important than the odd spelling mistake (I too am a bad speller!)
[ Follow me on Twitter: albertaross ]
I need to watch that show. David Mitchell is so dry and adorable on Would I Lie to You?
Brilliant! Literally is also a pet peeve of mine. What is there not to get about literally. It’s going to happen. So she’s actually going to stick great big stonking rockets up peoples backsides? I love that she was picked up on it.
[ Follow me on Twitter: rebeccajbradley ]
I couldn’t even begin to count. But to start with let’s take anxious and eager. When someone says “I’m anxious to read your book,” for example, I want to scream. What I hope they mean is “eager.” It’s so misused now that I’m not sure there’s anybody else on the planet who feels the same way I do. But it drives me bonkers.
I literally *heart* David Mitchell (no, I do… however that translates!) and my own pet peeves don’t come bigger than the way the letter ‘H’ is pronounced. Anybody doing it with a soft ‘huh-aitch’ is usually… and quite literally glared at. And if anyone on the TV or radio does it, then I actually DO feel like writing to the head of television and demanding they retake their pronunciation classes or something. It’s not hard, it’s ‘aitch’. It even explains how to say it in the flippin’ Dictionary. I blame teachers.
And now I’m ranting.
Oh, and even more irritating than this is the fact that the Librarian at our school pronounces Roald Dahl’s name with an extra, added *d* so he becomes ‘RoNald Dahl’. I’ve never had the nerve to correct her. Would you?
*I meant ‘N’, of course I did.
@Mollie: au contraire mon ami. Not only could I count them, I may. “He was anxious to arrive home” could mean: it’s past curfew and Dad’s getting my keys, or a friend warned him that pranksters put a skunk in through one of his windows then threw stones at it.
Unlike our easy-to-please host, Mrs. Drummond, I do mind “if you know the difference between their/they’re/there”. I think if people want, oh, say, the corner office or the one next to it, to be an officer instead of a lowly grub down-ladder, President of the United States (think GWB or half-term Gov. Palin), instead of just claiming to be educated, waving one’s credentials around in the “Miss America” wave, people should not have to guess whether one did their homework, read textbooks, and–in 4th grade–memorized lists of homonyms.
Everything about language is sacred ground to me as no doubt chisles, hammers, or paintbrushes were to Leonardo. However, on occasion, I also implore this God to be forgiving.
[ Follow me on Twitter: girlfrenkate ]
I totally understand and commiserate with you. I mostly cringe when people use “actually.” It might be the most overused and misused word around today. I hear it more than “literally.”
[ Follow me on Twitter: MermaidHel ]
I always get a sourpuss avatar. I gotta figure out a way to get a smiling one!
[ Follow me on Twitter: MermaidHel ]
The misuse of wary vs. weary—2 words that mean different things but most people I know say “weary” when they actually mean “wary.”
The latest, heard the incorrect use of the word “relevant’ to mean “relative.” It made me cringe, but I was not in a position to correct the person saying it.
She said “I know I’m the oldest person in the group, but it doesn’t mean I can’t keep up with the younger ones. I’ve been doing this for longer than they have. It’s all relevant.”
[ Follow me on Twitter: edenbaylee ]
Big fan of David! Not a big fan of ‘literally’. UGH.
[ Follow me on Twitter: talliroland ]
I love David Mitchell too- his Guardian columns and panel-show appearances.