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Does rampant use of the word "literally" literally make you want to scream? Then this new browser plug-in will figuratively make your heart sing.

literally這個字被濫用是不是讓你氣得很想尖叫？那麼這種新的瀏覽器外掛程式將能象徵性地讓你樂得心花怒放。

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The free plug-in, appropriately titled Literally, replaces the word "literally" with "figuratively" in online text. "That’s literally all it does," the description reads.

這種免費外掛程式取了一個非常合適的名字 Literally，它會把線上文字裡的literally 一字改為figuratively。「這個程式真的就只做這件事，」程式的敘述裡寫道。

Created by New York programmer Mike Walker, the plug-in can be downloaded for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Just pull up a Web page and watch instances of "literally" disappear.

這個程式是由紐約程式設計師沃克所創造，可以在Chrome、Firefox及Safari等瀏覽器中下載。只要打開一個網頁，就能看著頁面裡所有的literally 一字消失。

The website and download pages for the plug-in bear an image of actor Rob Lowe, whose "Parks and Recreation" character Chris Traeger uses the word "literally" quite, well, liberally.

這個外掛程式的網頁及下載網頁都配上了演員羅勃．洛的照片，因為這位演員在影集「公園與遊憩」裡的角色崔格就超愛用literally這個字。

Though the amusing plug-in may soothe the frayed neurons of grammatical purists, dictionaries have in the last couple of years allowed for a second, less formal definition of the word literally. As Oxford’s entry now reads： "Used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true： I have received literally thousands of letters."

雖然這個有趣的外掛程式或許能安撫文法純粹主義者的受創心靈，但近年來各大字典多已把literally一字加上第二種較不正式的定義。牛津字典的條目就寫道：「用來強調或表達強烈、但字面上不一定為事實的感受，例如我真的收到了數千封信。」

新聞辭典

literally：副詞，指逐字地、照字面意義地（與非字面意義地、誇大地等義相反），如He took her comments literally.（他完全照字面意義去理解她的評語。）非正式用法則是以誇張語氣來描述某些可能在字面上並非事實或不可能的事件，如Steam was literally coming out of his ears.（他氣得七孔冒煙。）但近來後面這種非正式用法大為盛行，常被刻意用於非指字面意義的脈絡來加強語氣，卻也常無意間產生邏輯上荒謬的句子而為人詬病，如We were literally killing ourselves laughing. （我們真的快笑死了。）在正式場合最好避免此種用法。

figuratively：副詞，指比喻地、象徵性地，如Figuratively speaking, it was a blow right between the eyes.（打個比方說，這真是個讓人眼冒金星的重大打擊。）

liberally：副詞，指大方地、慷慨地，或大量地、充足地，Apply the cream liberally to the affected area.（把藥膏充分地抹在患處。）

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