Barista Diaries - Ice Scrapers

After a day like today, I knew there were many things I wanted to post about, but now that I'm getting around to it I can't remember all of them.

Have you ever noticed that people literally misuse the word "literally" far too often? "That guy just literally pulled out a million dollars to pay." (Really?) "That lady just literally chewed my butt off!" (Your butt must have been massive before that incident.)

Allow me to define the word "literally" to avoid any further confusion:

Literally

–adverb

1. in the literal or strict sense: What does the word mean literally?

2. in a literal manner; word for word: to translate literally.

3. actually; without exaggeration or inaccuracy: The city was literally destroyed.

4. in effect; in substance; very nearly; virtually.

I would like to introduce people to a new word. Figuratively.

Figuratively

–adjective

1. of the nature of or involving a figure of speech, especially a metaphor; metaphorical; not literal: a figurative expression.

2. metaphorically so called: His remark was a figurative boomerang.

3. abounding in or fond of figures of speech: Elizabethan poetry is highly figurative.

4. representing by means of a figure or likeness, as in drawing or sculpture.

5. representing by a figure or emblem; emblematic.

Allow us to review. Literally would refer in accuracy to something that actually happened. While figuratively gives a person the room to make their exaggerations through a figure of speech. Please note the difference & embrace your new-found knowledge.

Now that I've made the distinction, a man literally pulled out his ice scraper & began banging on the drive-through window because my speed wasn't urgent enough for him (I should note that I wasn't moving slowly). That was a first for me. He certainly did not win any cool points today, in fact I'm pretty sure cool points were deducted on account of him being such a butthole to a complete stranger.