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Fex
be with child/ were you born in a barn?
Hi. I would like to know if these phrases are used in spoken English.
2015年5月18日 17:52
回答 · 5
2
Yes, I have heard them used. They are a bit quaint though.
Be with child = pregnant
Born in a barn = uncultured, impolite. Originally, the phrase was specifically meant for people who would enter a room without closing the door behind them.
2015年5月18日
2
Just to add a UK perspective to the answers you've had from two US English speakers:
It's more or less the same in British English. 'To be with child' is understood, but not used these days, at least not seriously. It's incredibly coy and euphemistic as a phrase. You might come across it in a text from a previous century, or in a Bible reading in church, but otherwise you'd never hear it in a modern context.
'Were you born in a barn?' is occasionally used in a jokey way, especially by older people, when someone walks into a room without closing the door behind them.
2015年5月18日
1
A woman can be "with child", meaning pregnant. It is somewhat old fashioned, but still used occasionally, mostly by older generations. It is much more formal than saying pregnant, but very rarely used.
"Were you born in a barn": I have always heard either that, or more commonly "were you RAISED in a barn". This would imply, by asking the rhetorical question, that someone does not have good manners, or that they are out of touch with a popular modern or current concept or event.
2015年5月18日
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Fex
語学スキル
中国語 (普通話), 英語, ロシア語, ウクライナ語
言語学習
中国語 (普通話), 英語
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