I can't stand it. I hear it everywhere. I hear it from people on the street. I hear it from high-profile newscasters who should know better. I hear it from teachers (shame!).

"He was literally under the weather." No, he would need to be buried under a pile of snow or hailstones to be "literally" under the weather.

"She literally lost her head." Gruesome! Her head was chopped off? Fell off?

"He literally hit a dead end." Was there a wall at the end of the road? Was he hurt?

"She was literally floating on air." Cool trick! How high did she go?

"Literally" means it happened just the way you state it happened—in those exact words. Literal refers to fact, not metaphor.

Moreover, it should not be used unless needed. Let's take "I literally quit my job" as an example. "Literally" adds nothing to your statement. "He literally rode a horse." So?

"Literally" is not a word to be tossed casually into conversation. It is to be used sparingly (and correctly) for ultimate impact.

Let's save and treasure our language, not only this word, but everything we say and write. Mean what you say and say what you mean.