literally kicks the bucket
March 26th, 2006 by Fitz
From an Amazon.com review of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World:
Kramer, who is better known for socially conscious, serious cinema (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?), is in a mood for broad comic characterization, and some of his jokes are so intentionally obvious (Durante literally kicks a bucket when he dies), they’d have a place in Airplane!
Update: of course this is a correct usage of literally.
March 27th, 2006 at 5:02 pm
two words
Ethel Merman
March 31st, 2006 at 6:50 am
Why is this “misuse”? The point here was that Durante kicks a real bucket, that’s the gag. Thus it’s not the usual figurative use of the term “to kick the bucket”, meaning to die, but a well, literal one.
Your own description of “what’s the problem” gives the “acceptable” usage of literal as one that’s not figurative but… the other kind. Literal.
April 5th, 2006 at 8:55 am
This is not misuse – it’s filed under correct. I’ll try to make this more clear in the future.
April 29th, 2006 at 8:28 am
Ah sorry, my mistake. I didn’t read the site that carefully when I posted that. I think you’re right however, calling out the distinction a little more prominently might be called for.
Here’s a new one for the incorrect category, just on Slate now, in an article by Sam Anderson:
“The range of material on the Web site YouTube is almost literally incredible— ”
Link below. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I shall go and play “My Mistake”, for solo violin.
http://www.slate.com/id/2140697/nav/tap1/
May 4th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
I don’t know if i’d call that correct usage, since Durante didn’t (literally) die — his character did.
May 4th, 2006 at 8:05 pm
They are not using the figurative meaning (that he died) but the literal meaning (he kicked a bucket with his foot), but they could have said “when his character dies” if you want to be pedantic (and hey, who doesn’t)