“I literally died from embarrassment!”
“I literally fell overboard when I heard the news about Aunt Martha!”
“I literally thought I went to heaven when I tasted that blueberry pie!”
The word “nearly” conveys the exaggeration without using a word to mean the opposite of its conventional meaning.
I understand very well he is trying to emphasize, underscore, or even exaggerate, as you stated.
Words MEAN things, as Rush would say, I believe.
He’s using the word incorrectly.
This is not like the jerk who once fired Rush, claiming it was because Rush used the word, “therefore”, a word the PM simply didn’t like. Then, Rush was using the word correctly.
Let’s say my intent is to exaggerate:
“That ho-ho was so good that it TRASMISSIONED my mind..!”
Would it be right? No, because the meaning of the word “transmission” doesn’t fit there.
And LITERALLY doesn’t carry the meaning that Rush is groping for in the cases he’s using it—it’s just that so many idiots use it that way that it has ended up influencing him.