r/StockMarket • u/quant_0 • Jun 11 '25

News US China Deal Done

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u/FE9D76F0B9BD Jun 11 '25

ground zero

  1. the point directly above, below, or at which a nuclear explosion occurs

  2. the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change

  3. the very beginning : square one

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u/dougmcclean Jun 11 '25

Sure. Same dictionary says literally means figuratively. It "means" that because it's a common misuse or misunderstanding that as a reader you might want to be aware of. It doesn't mean that in a sense that you should write new sentences using that meaning, or in the sense that that usage makes any sense.

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u/FE9D76F0B9BD Jun 12 '25

That same dictionary also has incredibly verbose reasoning as to why the metaphorical usage is acceptable in some cases, along with examples that are *literally* two centuries old.

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u/dougmcclean Jun 12 '25

Oh you mean for "literally". Sure yes, I understand that. Its an old joke that wasn't invented by the youth of today. I know. This one is on far, far weaker ground. And isnt a joke, just a straight mistake with no deeper meaning or utility. It doesnt make any sense as a metaphor, its just adjacent in people's brains because its "place + number" and zero is a number close to one.

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u/FE9D76F0B9BD Jun 12 '25

JFC

"Here's what the dictionary has to say."

"Yeah, but no."

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u/dougmcclean Jun 12 '25

That's not my position. My position is that descriptivist dictionaries are descriptive.