Yeah it’s a shame because there was a time that Toms hardware was so good and often neck and neck with Anandtech in terms of great articles to read, but at some point it became more sensationalist and the line betweens tom’s guide and tom’s hardware blurred (with tom’s guide seeming to take over). There are still nuggets that are okay, but just not like it used to be.
This one exactly. But don’t lose hope, the word doesn’t really convey figuratively other than online people who mostly sound foolish trying to push buttons. It is usually used as an emphasis when someone wants to say how close to the actual literal situation things were (even if not literally the same). People who use it as “figuratively” are in decline, kind of like people that throw a fit over “moist” and as long as we keep pointing out how ridiculous they are (both moist dramatics and literal confusers) their relevance will continue to fade.
Obnoxious, but also NOT correct. As another poster pointed out baby talk does serve a purpose in language development, and is a pretty universal part of child rearing. It’s not some recent cultural phenomenon that’s holding people bad from their full potential (or whatever BS this person is trying to imply). Using big words or skipping the baby talk stage doesn’t lead to more rapid or better development.