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The literal meaning is what the words themselves mean, whereas the intended meaning is what the speaker or writer actually tried to say.

For instance, take the idiom "on the house." Taken literally, it would mean that some object is located on top of someone's house. However, the intended meaning is that someone else (called "the house") is paying for the item, and thus it is free to those included in the statement.

You also see a difference between literal and intended meanings in words and phrases borrowed from other languages. Take for instance, the word wiki. The literal meaning in Hawaiian is "very fast." However, the intended meaning in English is a website in which users can edit - like this one.

In some cases of course, the literal meaning is exactly the same as the intended meaning. Sometimes people mean exactly what they say.

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