&gt; I can&#x27;t count the number of times in a public conversation I&#x27;ve heard people say, &quot;well maybe I&#x27;m just being anal.&quot; Gah. That isn&#x27;t a homonym people. You are literally referring to [...]<p>Er, no. I&#x27;m pretty sure most people using that phrase are <i>not</i> using it literally, and I don&#x27;t think any honest listener ever confuses the usage for a literal one.