Wait, People Took That *Literally*?!

Sometimes, people don’t say what they mean on purpose — like when you say, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" or "I've got a frog in my throat." Wild, right? We use fancy talk to spice things up and avoid sounding like robots.

English loves its weird sayings and little puzzles. To sound like a pro, you gotta know that "turn a blind eye" means ignoring stuff, not literally covering your eye. And "kick the bucket"? That's a polite way of saying someone’s gone, not a soccer match.

Ever heard someone "drop the ball"? No one’s playing catch — it means messing up. And "barking up the wrong tree" isn't about dogs. It's blaming the wrong person. English is sneaky that way.

"Hold your horses!" is code for chill out — even if you don’t own a horse (lucky you). And "born with a silver spoon in your mouth"? That just means you grew up lucky, not munching on metal cutlery.

The word "literally" gets tossed around like confetti but doesn’t always mean what it says. Someone might say, "I was literally outside for five seconds and it started raining!" when it was really five minutes. Drama queen much?

Language experts say people stretch words for fun. Like saying a bus turning up is "awesome" even if it’s not mind-blowing. We all do it — making words cooler than they actually are.

"Literally" is one of those words that causes a mini language fight. Some want it used strictly, others don't mind the fun exaggeration. It only gets tricky when you’re not sure if it’s real or just for kicks.

Enjoy this wild ride through people’s clever and crazy takes on words! Vote for your faves and tell us: which phrases would you dare to take literally? Ready for more laughs? We’ve got even more in the next list — but shh, it’s a secret... for now!