"have ever been"

Wed Sep 13 20:09:34 UTC 2006

On Sep 13, 2006, at 11:34 AM, Jon Lighter wrote:

> I agree with Wilson and Mark.
>
>   What that means is that the McCarthy quote popped into my head as
> soon as I read Arnold's exx., which proves obviously it's the source.

love it!  the Reminds Me Of approach to etymology.  (yes, i know,
tongue in cheek.)

just to remind everyone, my example 1 is from a young UK soccer fan,
and 6  is from a singaporean (4 looks like consciously "literary"
writing).  in any case, not likely to influenced by joe mccarthy
quotes.  in any case, the database is tiny.

arnold

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org