Lemony Snicket

something happens figuratively, it feels like it's happening. If you are literally jumping for joy, for instance, it means you are leaping in the air because you are very happy. If you are figuratively jumping for joy, it means you are so happy that you could jump for joy,

You're not going to marry Violet figuratively—you're going to marry her literally!

But I consider her to be a stick behind a stubborn mule.”