Jim Strong caused quite a commotion when he called 911 last Saturday. Strong claims he was just trying to help his friend. “I was fearing for his life. What he was telling me made literally no sense, and I mean ‘literally’ literally,” Strong explains.

Strong’s friend, Mike Johnson, apparently told Strong that his wife was leaving him. He explained, “Then, I told Jim, that I literally hit the ceiling at the news.” Strong was immediately alarmed at the news that his friend was not only divorcing, but that he had literally hit the ceiling.

“As far as I could tell, Mike could have been sitting in the cup of a catapult that went off, sending him splatting into the ceiling. I had no way to tell,” Strong explains.

When he was asked whether he sought confirmation from Johnson that he needed help, Strong said, “I asked Mike whether he was alright. He said that he was, but, you know, that’s exactly what a confused individual with a concussion would say. I couldn’t trust what he was telling me.”

Strong decided to call 911, and send them to Johnson’s location. The emergency staff quickly established that when Johnson told Strong that he had literally hit the ceiling, he was speaking figuratively.

When asked for comment, the EMS Chief told us, “It is important that folks know the distinction between ‘literally’ and ‘figuratively’ don’t use the former when you want to use the latter!”