signature, adj.

[Jonathan Lighter]

Undoubtedly.

JL

On Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 6:25 PM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: signature, adj.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Perhaps "signature" in the sense of 'celebrated' comes about by some
> confusion with the adj. "signal"?
>
> --Charlie
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of
> Jonathan Lighter [wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2011 3:21 PM
>
> Surely OED contains the wildly popular "signature, adj. personally
> distinctive:  _another of the President's signature, low-key performances_
>
> No? Well, in that case, it doesn't have this additional sense either:
>
> 2009 Gordon Berg in _America's Civil War_ XXII (Nov.) 36: In one of the
> war's most signature moments in one of its most documented battles:
> Chickamauga.
>
> It can only mean "celebrated."   Because the moment itself - the defense of
> key hill position - was hardly "personally distinctive."  But it did become
> famous.
>
> Ordinarily there's someone or something identified in the context as
> imparting the "signature" quality. In the above ex., there's nobody and
> nothing.
>
> JL
>
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