Literally means strict, strict, clear, according to the letter of the text. It is the use of an expression in its true sense. For example, the phrase “the man was starving” can have two meanings: the literal sense and the figurative sense. Used figuratively, the phrase is just hyperbole to emphasize that the man was very hungry. However, if the intention is to say that the man was dying because he did not eat, the phrase will then be interpreted literally, that is, as it is written.
Therefore, it is common to add the term “literally” when there is an intention to highlight the true meaning of the words used. The word literally should only be referred to when the phrase or expression has different meanings.
In Brazil there is a huge variety of expressions whose most common interpretation is not usually made in the literal sense: “drop the plug”, “elbow pain”, “pop a bomb”, “the cat's jump”, “break the branch”, “burn the movie”, “hold a candle” etc.
