Personally, I feel that words and phrases mean what they mean, and I refuse to use them in any other manner. I may be a bit of a grammar freak, but it really annoys me when people use the wrong word for the intended meaning.

For instance, the word "literally"; if I had a nickle for each time I heard someone use the word "literally" when they meant "figuratively" or "metaphorically" or perhaps "practically," or even something like "just about," I'd be rich. Exempli gratia, someone who says "That literally chaps my hide," when their hide is not in fact chapped.

Or the words "Christian" and "gentleman." The word "Christian" meant someone who professed belief in the teachings of a specific religion; now it is usually meant as someone who acts some way pleasing to the speaker, such as someone who is tolerant or charitable, never mind whether or not they believe anything remotely connected to the Christian church.

"Gentleman," on the other hand, meant a person who owned land and had a coat of arms. Today it means someone who acts courteously; there is already a word for that: "courteous."

Sorry if I'm a little uptight about this, but I hold quite strongly to the principle that "words mean things," and that what they mean is not based on what we want them to mean.

By the way, I'm much nicer in person than the above rant implies