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Did You Catch Biden Misusing the Word ‘Literally’ Throughout His Entire DNC Speech?

Sep. 7, 2012 9:43am

Vice President Joe Biden took the stage last night in an effort to rally the Democratic masses. His goal? To bolster President Barack Obama’s electoral chances (we fact-checked some of his statements earlier this morning). While there were some noteworthy stretches of the truth presented in his speech, Biden didn’t appear, on the surface, to make any major gaffes — that is, until some journalists watching his address realized that he was misusing the word “literally.”

Yes, literally.

Apparently, Biden improperly used the word numerous times throughout his speech. “Literally,” which means “in a literal manner” or “exactly” is regularly confused as meaning “virtually” or “nearly,” The Huffington Post reports. So, when making figurative statements, it’s a poor word to use.

Watch a video compilation of Biden’s “literally” bloopers, below:

The Obama camp apparently sought to capitalize on Biden’s errors. The Washington Post reports that the campaign purchased a Twitter ad based on the vice-president’s usage of the word:

Vice President Biden’s frequent use of the word “folks” and frequently incorrect use of the words “literally” during his acceptance speech Wednesday earned him lots of mockery on Twitter.

It appears someone in the Obama campaign noticed. They took out an ad on the term “literally” on Twitter, so that searches for the term turn up a promoted tweet by @BarackObama.

But Juli Weiner of Vanity Fair actually defended Biden’s use of “literally,” writing:

But were we incorrect to condemn Biden’s vocabulary as sin? Is there not some merit in such a singularly irreplaceable word? Verily, in retrospect, we believe there is. 

Thesaurus.com lists several synonyms for “literally”—“actually, completely, correctly, direct, directly, faithfully, indisputably, letter by letter, literatim, not figuratively, plainly, precisely, really, rightly, rigorously, sic, simply, straight, strictly, to the letter, truly, undeviatingly, undisputably, unerringly, unmistakably, verbatim, veritably”—but none of these, with the exception of the hilarious and criminally underused “not figuratively,” has the poetry of its synonymic sibling.
Go ahead and say it.

After all, in Biden’s defense, it’s a common mistake to make. What do you think? Read more about the use of “literally” and “figuratively” here and let us know in the comments section, below.

(H/T: The Huffington Post)

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Comments (71)

1 2
  • term limits for congress
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 1:33pm

    Some teleprompter jockey is going to be looking for a new job today.

    Report this comment

    term limits for congress  
    • termyt
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 2:48pm

      Aw, give him a break. He just wasn’t using “literally” literally.

      Report this comment

      termyt  
    • FREEDOMoverFEAR
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 4:00pm

      Joe Biden would LITERALLY be a billionaire if he was a comedian.

      Report this comment

      FREEDOMoverFEAR  
    • Mil-Dot
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 5:02pm

      Only the very young and the extremely stupid misuse the word “literally”. My brother told me that one day one of his female employees with a bachelor’s degree said “….. and I literally died”. My brother told her that if she “literally died” that she would be dead. She looked at him like he was a purple space alien and in total clueless amazement. She couldn’t understand what he was saying. Now THAT is some serious stupidity.

      Report this comment

      Mil-Dot  
    • TH30PH1LUS
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 6:39pm

      Biden is so dumb he heard someone say it was chilly outside so he ran and grabbed a bowl. LITERALLY.

      Report this comment

      TH30PH1LUS  
    • Ethereal
      Posted on September 8, 2012 at 1:58pm

      Quick someone get that guy a coloring book!

      Report this comment

      Ethereal  
  • PhineasJWhoopee
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 1:22pm

    If Biden wasn’t VP his own family would make him live in the attic and hide the embarrassment of his existence from the world.

    Report this comment

    PhineasJWhoopee  
  • VotersOfNY
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 1:06pm

    Biden is literally an idiot.

    Report this comment

    VotersOfNY  
  • Le Sellers
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 12:52pm

    Gees!! The guy has a couple of brain aneurysms 27 years ago and you can’t give ‘im a break over a word?!?

    (Sarcastically challenged people should not read this without a Licensed Linguistic Guide. No, really.)

    Mr. O’bama, where are the Jobs?

    Report this comment

    Le Sellers  
    • VRW Conspirator
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 2:28pm

      LMAO!!! Making my sides hurt..yes that it literally what is happening.. LOL

      Report this comment

      VRW Conspirator  
    • Magyar
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 3:08pm

      Hey @ Le Sellers—-Yahoo!!!!… I’m >IN<… I majored in linguistics!!!!!… I have a few of those ref. books and guides laying around!

      Report this comment

      Magyar  
  • Ghandi was a Republican
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 12:49pm

    I could throw a football from where I sit and hit at least 7 people who are more qualified to lead than obama/biden and their band of court jesters. Literally!

    Report this comment

    Ghandi was a Republican  
  • oinia
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 12:39pm

    Using a word to mean the exact opposite of what it really means?

    TOTALLY consistent with Democrats’ entire messaging:

    intolerance = tolerance
    hate = love
    corruption = transparency
    killing oil production = increasing production
    international weakness = international prestige
    Iran completely undeterred from nuclear efforts = successful diplomacy
    betraying Israel = Israel’s strongest support EVER
    rejecting God = devotion to God
    keynote speaker Clinton a rapist, sexual abuser, sexual harasser who had affair with intern IN the Oval Office = a Republican war on women
    constant Democrat race-baiting = Republican racism

    and on…and on…and on…

    Report this comment

    oinia  
  • team1blazer
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 12:39pm

    Joe Bite me is literally one of the most ignorant people on the face of the earth.

    Report this comment

    team1blazer  
    • DIR
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 3:51pm

      Did You Catch Biden Misusing the Word ‘Literally’ Throughout His Entire DNC Speech?

      I happily avoided watching Biden’s speech and therefore missed his misuse of the word ‘literallly.’ I didn’t have to watch to know he was going to make another one of his famous gaffs and continue to prove he’s the fool he truely is. Joe is certainly funny, at times, but I’m tired of laughig at the putz. He and his party are a massive conglomerate of loosers.

      Report this comment

      DIR  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 12:10pm

    You know…everytime I see or hear obama and biden…I slowly realize that anyone can do this gig of being a democrap president etc. We are dealing with morons in high places. You and I could do better without even trying.

    Report this comment

    thegreatcarnac  
    • VRW Conspirator
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 2:41pm

      but you do not have a Harvard Constitutional Law degree so you obviously can not be qualified…i mean come on now…only lawyers from Harvard that are school in Constitutional Law can be President…
      you can’t possibly know more about the Constitution than a former adjunct Professor at the U of Chicago who spent his entire time in class siting court cases, never talking about the Constitution itself, and simply telling his students that it was only negative liberties and should be positive powers of government…
      literally you must be joking that you think you are better qualified than the community organizer in chief….
      LOL
      and no…i am not be sarcastic…literally..i am not… LOL

      Report this comment

      VRW Conspirator  
  • ARSILHOUETTE
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 12:04pm

    It is getting really sad when the big story of the day is whether the VP used the right word in his speech. I will be so glad when November 9th comes (it will take a few days for the BS to slow down after the election). I think Blaze should dedicate one full day to non-campaign news and stories.

    Report this comment

    ARSILHOUETTE  
    • Mapache
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 1:33pm

      I am waiting for the Glenn Beck Gloatfest II!

      Report this comment

      Mapache  
    • Cry_Havoc
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 3:37pm

      @ARSILHOUETTE
      I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect the Vice President to be proficient in his use of the English language. He’s one step away from the Presidency for pete’s sake. I’d also expect him to employ competent speech writers who’ve a grasp of English. Whoops,….guess not. He can’t even hire competency. Look, it may be a minor gaffe compared to far more important issues, but consider this; The inability to properly do easy/basic things tends to hamper one’s ability to do complex things, literally. If you asked someone “what’s 2 + 2?”, and they said “5″, would you then ask them a question about computational fluid dynamics, and expect a correct answer? The horse goes in front of the cart Joe.

      Report this comment

      Cry_Havoc  
  • ChangeAll
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 11:16am

    Hey..let up on the old guy..he does the best he can with his limited ability.

    Report this comment

    ChangeAll  
  • AlexV
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 11:12am

    Only in the Democratic Party can someone who is “virtually” an idiot that can’t spell a 3 letter word let alone “potato” can end up as VP to someone who “literally” has no experience in anything other “then” having the ability to to to read a uhhhhhhh teleprompter.

    Report this comment

    AlexV  
  • hctulc
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 11:07am

    I think this was done on purpose so that when all the fuss would inevitably begin, some people might actually listen to his speech. I must admit that when I saw this story I did listen to about (10) words of his speech before I caught on and stopped the video. You all should remember this ploy as it will no doubt be used again and again.

    Report this comment

    hctulc  
  • getourcountryback
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:57am

    Biden is an idiot and if he was reading from a script to keep him from going off the rails that should tell you a bit about the rest of the IDIOTS in the present administration. You can put a tuxedo on a goat; it’s still a goat.

    Report this comment

    getourcountryback  
  • Mapache
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:54am

    Joe should not get all the blame. The misuse of literally is literally in the speech so some fault lies with the speechwriters and those who vetted the speech. I am no fan of Joe Biden but the misuse of the word points to a broader lack of ability within the Obama organization.

    Report this comment

    Mapache  
  • Critters58
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:50am

    lit·er·al·ly (ltr–l)
    adv.
    1. In a literal manner; word for word: translated the Greek passage literally.
    2. In a literal or strict sense: Don’t take my remarks literally.
    3. Usage Problem
    a. Really; actually: “There are people in the world who literally do not know how to boil water” (Craig Claiborne).
    b. Used as an intensive before a figurative expression.
    Usage Note: For more than a hundred years, critics have remarked on the incoherency of using literally in a way that suggests the exact opposite of its primary sense of “in a manner that accords with the literal sense of the words.” In 1926, for example, H.W. Fowler cited the example “The 300,000 Unionists … will be literally thrown to the wolves.” The practice does not stem from a change in the meaning of literally itself if it did, the word would long since have come to mean “virtually” or “figuratively” but from a natural tendency to use the word as a general intensive, as in They had literally no help from the government on the project, where no contrast with the figurative sense of the words is intended.

    The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

    Report this comment

    Critters58  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:39am

    Here is the proper usage: Biden is literally an idiot.

    Report this comment

    Gonzo  
  • Centralsville
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:38am

    Biden talked about this generation facing up to the challenges of today. This generation, this Baby Boomer Generation, this generation that proudly paraded around in the mud, and dung, and drugs at Woodstock. This generation that once said don’t trust anyone over 30. This generation that never grew up. This last generation of degenerates that the Bible speaks about in the last days. This generation of rebellion. This generation that rejected all the values before it. This generation of femenism, gay rights, the drug culture, the sexual revolution. This generation that has brought us more debt then we can ever repay. This generation that turned it’s back on the Bible and everything humanity has learned since the beginning of man. A totally failed generation. The adults all died out with the greatest generation, only kids left now to run the country.

    Report this comment

    Centralsville  
  • djeffcoat
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:30am

    I blame the speech writer(s) for their ignorance of the English language. And, that leads to blaming the poor education that one gets on the American education system today. Reading, writing and arithmetic are no longer the cornerstones for an education in our schools today.

    Report this comment

    djeffcoat  
    • huey6367
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:35am

      OK blame the speech writer but don’t they review and practice these speeches before hand?

      Report this comment

      huey6367  
    • djeffcoat
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:38am

      Pardon my typo. Should have been IN the American education system today not ON the American education system today.

      Report this comment

      djeffcoat  
    • djeffcoat
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:41am

      They should and I am including the speaker as one of the speech writers. Composition and grammatical errors are rife in the all media these days.

      Report this comment

      djeffcoat  
  • jcldwl
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:22am

    He is “literally” an idiot.

    Report this comment

    jcldwl  
    • JRook
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:30am

      This criticism from a group that spends their time citing other conservative blogs and media outlets and display little if any journalistic capability or integrity. So basically your selected role is to reference other people’s work and present them in as biased a manner as possible. And you sit in criticism of a word choice or word use. The question, which I guess is beyond you, is whether the people listening received and understood the intended message. But then again that is something they cover in communications 101.

      Report this comment

      JRook  
    • huey6367
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:38am

      @jrook

      Typical lib response. Someone criticizes his guy and he resonds with anger. Learn something.

      Report this comment

      huey6367  
    • 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:41am

      JROOK: And I’m sure you would defend Bush in the manner, wouldn’t you?

      Report this comment

      2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT  
    • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
      Posted on September 7, 2012 at 1:04pm

      JROOK
      I started to write a scathing criticism, but deleted it, and instead decided to pass the peace pipe.
      I have been reading your posts for quite a good while and don’t particularily have any aversions with you. Lighten up, guy, it’s Friday.

      Report this comment

      Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
  • Mapache
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:20am

    I am still literally standing on the brink and I can see my house from here.

    Report this comment

    Mapache  
  • Anonymous T. Irrelevant
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:18am

    Biden is LITERALLY the most ignorant Vice President in US history.

    Report this comment

    Anonymous T. Irrelevant  
  • RightThinking1
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:14am

    Yes. If “literally” had been the trigger word for a drinking game, we’d have all been as drunk as Joe before it was over.

    Report this comment

    RightThinking1  
  • indy1
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 9:59am

    We would expect nothing less of Vanity Fair than to defend Dumbocrats no matter what they say or do.

    Report this comment

    indy1  
  • biohazard23
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 9:57am

    You just know that if Biden had an R after his name, Vanity Fair would be mocking him relentlessly instead of defending him, just like the good little lapdogs they are.

    Report this comment

     
  • DetritusScreener
    Posted on September 7, 2012 at 9:54am

    I “literally” expect more from the Vice President of the United States.

    Report this comment

    DetritusScreener  
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