Anyone who lived in or near New York City in their early 20s (or let’s be honest, late teens) has likely been to Continental, a dive bar near St. Marks in Manhattan’s East Village. The bar is not exactly a place we’d call “selective,” and yet, in a hilarious move spotted earlier this week, management has posted a Millennial-deterring sign smack in the middle of the storefront window banning what might be the most overused word of Gens Y and Z: “literally.”
Eden Brower, a musician and blogger, posted a snap of the sign on Twitter earlier this week. The sign reads: “Sorry but if you say the word ‘Literally’ inside Continental you have 5 minutes to finish your drink and then you must leave.”
The sign continues, “This is the most overused, annoying word in the English language and we will not tolerate it.”
We’re not sure when cheap dive bars became the gatekeepers of literary culture, but we definitely don’t mind in this case. That being said, this is a surprising move considering Continental’s low-brow status, known among many of us for luring in young drinkers with its absurdly cheap, totally watered down shot specials.
Five shots for $10? Come on. That’s literally impossible.
