tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post5724737191260467877..comments2023-06-04T11:38:40.921-04:00Comments on words / myth / ampers & virgule: Noted in passing: become becomes obsoleteDick Margulishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10169512038331158003noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-26344986786178716092011-04-19T09:19:08.824-04:002011-04-19T09:19:08.824-04:00At 29, I'm familiar with this usage, but I don...At 29, I'm familiar with this usage, but I don't hear it much. I hear "flattering" much more frequently than "becoming" to convey something a little more serious or formal than "looks cute on you."KellyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00107695659185335269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-23374669545824636912011-04-18T15:07:38.341-04:002011-04-18T15:07:38.341-04:00I know this usage of the word only because my moth...I know this usage of the word only because my mother and grandmother used it, generally as "that's unbecoming" if a piece of clothing wasn't flattering or if I wasn't behaving in a very ladylike manner. Haven't heard it elsewhere.erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07468370511880055638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-52794550141091301862011-04-18T13:46:17.432-04:002011-04-18T13:46:17.432-04:00I haven't used it recently, but I'm certai...I haven't used it recently, but I'm certainly familiar with it and heard it often in my youth (I'm 60-something). I'll try to resurrect it in my own speech--it's a very useful word that deserves to be restored to currency. Does anyone remember the song "Moonlight Becomes You"?The Book Doctorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03549675812434615130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-91938739666096106492011-04-18T12:00:56.480-04:002011-04-18T12:00:56.480-04:00Mourning, not morning. Damn. Thanks for the catch....Mourning, not morning. Damn. Thanks for the catch.Dick Margulishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10169512038331158003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-84340415321945797662011-04-18T11:47:55.930-04:002011-04-18T11:47:55.930-04:00The title of O'Neill's play is Mourning Be...The title of O'Neill's play is Mourning Becomes Electra, not Morning. In my youth (I'm now 75) I found the title unintelligible, but this sense of "become", once learned, I came to like and still occasionally use.Xmunnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-57017101715878532972011-04-18T11:04:34.568-04:002011-04-18T11:04:34.568-04:00I think of it as a military term "conduct unb...I think of it as a military term "conduct unbecoming an officer".<br /><br />But yes, I am familiar with the term. I might use it sarcastically; it does have a certain old-fashioned fragrance to it.<br /><br />Wordnik agrees that "unbecoming" is fading away. (Searching "becoming" is problematic because of the other usages.)<br /><br />http://www.wordnik.com/words/unbecomingSarah O'Keefehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00318480808674790819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-51814112532447241452011-04-18T11:02:07.772-04:002011-04-18T11:02:07.772-04:00I'm almost 60 and rarely hear or use it when s...I'm almost 60 and rarely hear or use it when speaking, except in riffs on "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman." IOW, there's often some tongue-in-cheekiness involved. Growing up, I heard it used often esp. by women of my mother's and grandmothers' generations. As applied to clothing ("That dress is so becoming on you" or "Red becomes you"), it seemed to carry a bit of an undercurrent: That dress/color disguises your big nose, pallid complexion, nonexistent waist, etc.Susannahttp://www.susannajsturgis.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-3681744543334099002011-04-18T10:58:08.764-04:002011-04-18T10:58:08.764-04:00I'm 44 and familiar with the usage, but now th...I'm 44 and familiar with the usage, but now that you mention it, I haven't heard that usage in a long time. It's definitely not part of my regular vocabulary. I would say something along the lines of "it looks nice on you" or "it's flattering."virtuallorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03060756907922887253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27606211.post-11479665052644405612011-04-18T09:11:13.546-04:002011-04-18T09:11:13.546-04:00I use it infrequently. I might say that something ...I use it infrequently. I might say that something becomes someone, or doesn't become them, or more seldom I might describe something as becoming or unbecoming. Although I see it now and then in prose, I rarely hear people speak it. I remember being a bit surprised by the film title <i>Death Becomes Her</i>, because I imagined its meaning — and pun — wouldn't be immediately obvious to everyone.Stanhttp://stancarey.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com