Like

Like is a many splendored thing.
It is better to have liked and lost than never to have liked at all.
Who, being liked, is poor? 
 A baby is born with a need to be liked — and never outgrows it.
 Like is, above all, the gift of oneself.
All is fair in like and war.
She likes you, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You've lost that likin' feeling.
I just called to say I like you.

And so it goes. With "like" being one of the most often used word in the modern American English I thought I would see just what it means. It's like, and I'm like, and he's like, all over this like thing. As a form of hesitation instead of "um", "uh", "er", "ah" you can now use the word 'like", because it's like, you know, like, cool. 
How does that happen in an evolving language?

Maybe it has something to do with FACEBOOK. You can like all kinds of things there. You can't love them or okay them, but you can unlike something. Only if you previously liked it, however. Millions of people like millions of other people or things every day there. It is a likefest of enormous proportion going on 24/7. But is there only like in this world?

What's wrong with "you know"?

“Well, you know, that’s something, obviously, that, you know, in principle and in the campaign, you know, I think that, um, the tax cuts, you know, were expiring and needed to be repealed.” - Caroline Kennedy referring to the Bush tax cuts. 

I guess it is a thing for older folks.

Instead of he said or she said , now it's he's like and she's like. The origins are said to come from "Valley speak" from the late 70's and into the '80's (like, totally).

There is a help page at wikihow to help you to STOP saying like (If you like, even wanted to). Seriously!
The first lesson is:
 

Know how the word "like" is supposed to be used. In English, there are only two correct, proper usages for the word "like." These are:

• Similarity - "This tastes like chicken."
• Enjoyment - "I like this movie."

Who am I to argue?

While being "liked" is often what happens when you are "friend-zoned". This is the ultimate expression of like to most young men. It's never going to be love just because you want it to be. I know this happens to heterosexuals and can only assume it happens to homosexuals, as well, but either way it is a pathetic place to be.

But, I digress.
My favorite Likes are substitutes for love in song titles. They give me the giggles. So if you see a 64 year old man walkng down the street chuckling to himself he may be thinking of things like this:
The Greatest like of all
The Power of like
Dreamliker
I want to know what Like is
What's like Got to do With it
Like will keep us Together
She likes You
To Sir with Like
Crazy Little thing called Like
I Will Always Like You
How Deep is your Like
Endless Like

And this list is nearly, like, endless.

or he might just be a bit crazy.

Here's likin' at you, kid!