literally means to give the exact sense, necessary, literal. The same as literally. It is an idiom used to refer to the faithful interpretation of what has been said or read. Example: He followed the instructions to the letter. In this example, it still acquires the sense of rigorously, to the letter.
It is also common for those who are learning a foreign language to make translations to the letter, that is, word for word. Sometimes wrongly. For example, translating from English “Put yourself in my shoes”, the literal meaning is “Put yourself in my shoes”. However, the intended interpretation in the English language is the same as “Place yourself in my place” in Portuguese.
popular uses
Pe-frio, hand-of-the-cow and stingy are examples of popular expressions whose meanings in certain situations cannot be taken literally. The very expression “literally” would become meaningless if we took it literally. In this case, we would be referring to some footed letter.
Many comedians use the literal interpretation of a word or set of words because the spelling or phonetics allow the creation of an unexpected sense that is intended to amuse the reader. Example: haberdashery – wind from the sea.
