Rejected petition Keep the word 'literally' to mean literally

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The DfE must improve the standard of english being taught in schools. If they did, the OED would not have to pander to those who use the english language incorrectly.

What is wrong with this quote from football pundit Jamie Redknapp? "In his youth, Michael Owen was literally a greyhound."

The answer is: nothing. That is because the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary have changed the definition of "literally" - so it can now be used in a similar way to "metaphorically."

Senior OED editor Fiona MacPherson told BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast: "If enough people use a word in a particular way... it will find its way into the dictionary."

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

It’s not clear what the petition is asking the UK Government or Parliament to do.

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 19 August 2013
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