literally raining cats
November 3rd, 2006 by Fitz
Chris submitted the following:
www.komotv.com
It’s literally raining cats in the Puget Sound area, as local shelters are overrun with felines, and they’re asking for the public’s help to save them.
There is no mention of precipitation or falling cats in the article.
November 9th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
(sigh) I always attempt to find some way to salvage the dignity of someone who misuses “literally” and end up trying to imagine some scenario where what they describe “literally” takes place. Could the cats have climbed on top of buildings and fallen onto people “like rain”? I know, it’s a stretch. LOL
November 18th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
I stumbled on your page by way of a Firefox plugin, and I’m glad I did. I love it!
November 25th, 2006 at 10:23 am
I have become an instant fan of this site, and stated my love in my similar grammar blog, the “blog” of “unneccesary” quotation marks. Linky post here.
January 3rd, 2007 at 6:20 pm
In the Puget Sound region precipitation is always assumed.
January 4th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Or “unnecessary”, as the case may be. Damn, I should start a spelling blog.
March 14th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
love it.. stumnbled on from toshistation..
January 12th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
This is a really interesting example actually, I’ve seen/heard this kind of thing before - where someone uses “literally” to describe a common metaphor that’s being used in a *less* figurative sense than usual. It’s “raining cats” not in the sense that it’s raining a lot, but in the sense that it’s (figuratively raining) (actual cats). Is there a better word for that? I can’t think of one myself.