Re: USAGE: 'born'

Steg Belsky wrote:
>
> On Fri, 11 May 2001 10:10:32 -0400 Amanda Babcock <langs@...>
> writes:
> > On Thu, May 10, 2001 at 06:02:47PM -0400, Nik Taylor wrote:
> > > David Peterson wrote:
> > > >     The first definition is "tending to suit or to give a
> > pleasing effect or
> > > > attractive appearance, as to a person or thing".  "Becoming
> > what?"  That's not
> > > >  the response of a native English speaker.
>
> > > It's the response of THIS native English speaker.
>
> > This one too.
> > I find the adjectival use of "becoming" so old-fashioned that I
> > automatically
> > assume the verbal meaning in a modern context.
> >
> > Amanda
> -
>
> The adjectival use of "becoming" makes me think of the "bad pickup-line
> joke":
>
> "that shirt looks very becoming on you.  and if i was on you, i'd
> 'becoming' too!"
:-) Actually, that's what came in to my mind the first time I saw this
whole "becoming" debate. In a modern context, I, like Amanda,
automatically assume the verbal meaning.

--
Robert