Mr Hicks's eloquent body language and his crisp control of verbal registers really make the mask work as an intensifier.

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Advanced night-vision equipment and image-intensifier tubes -- the backbone of night-fighting capability.

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So that people avoid becoming the butt of jokes, Collins English Dictionary advises against using literally as an intensifier in formal or written contexts.

BBC: Why is 'literally' such a troublesome word?

Ian Brookes, consultant editor at Collins English Dictionary, agrees the figurative and metaphorical use of the word crept into the English language as an intensifier.

BBC: Why is 'literally' such a troublesome word?

But he says using literally as an intensifier can often result in "absurdity" in phrases such as "the news was literally an eye-opener to me".

BBC: Why is 'literally' such a troublesome word?