literally pays for itself
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The phrase “it pays for itself” means that by purchasing and using this product, you will save an equivalent amount of money by not having to perform some other task.
In order for something to “literally pay for itself” it should have some kind of interal compartment that springs open and spits out cash at the point of purchase.
A google search for “literally pays for itself” found 900 results, while the correct (but overused) cliche “pays for itself” found over six million results.
October 3rd, 2005 at 2:54 pm
How does not that not make sense? I think the idiom “pays for itself” could be used to mean, not literally “makes a lot of money”. However, if literal, all it means is “makes enough money for you to recoup the loss you incurred acquiring it”.
October 5th, 2005 at 8:15 pm
I’m sticking to my guns (figuratively) – it’s incorrect according to the reasons I listed above. So there.