She's in the family way
She's expecting a baby
TRANSLATION
in the family way = schwanger sein --- GOOGLE INDEX in the family way: approximately 55,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
While she certainly doesn’t appear to be IN THE FAMILY WAY, two weeks after this interview, Richie confirmed that she and Madden are expecting their second child.
(BlackBook Magazine)
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We were not long out to sea before I thought from her appearance that she was IN THE FAMILY WAY.
(New York Times)
(BlackBook Magazine)
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We were not long out to sea before I thought from her appearance that she was IN THE FAMILY WAY.
(New York Times)
Did you
know?
in the family way
idiom
- to be pregnant
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press 2009)
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WORD ORIGIN
In the family way is a euphemism (a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word) for being pregnant. The expression stems from the Victorian period and is meanwhile old-fashioned. Britain underwent several social changes during this time that resulted in generally stricter moral views. Prostitution was labelled "The Great Social Evil," and any open discussion of bedtime activities was considered inappropriate.
Times change and so do our views. These days, most societies view pregnancy as something to celebrate rather than to be ashamed of. Still, the English language contains relics from days gone by, including phrases like "in the family way." Other polite and/or humorous ways of saying pregnant are:
- she's in trouble (This expression was popular in the U.S. in the 50s and 60s.)
- she's expecting
- she has a bun in the oven
- she got knocked up
- she's now eating for two
- the rabbit died (This phrase originated from a pregnancy test used in the 1920s/1930s that involved injecting female rabbits with the woman's urine. The rabbit's ovaries were then examined for damage caused only by the hCG pregnancy hormone. Since the rabbits were killed in order to examine their ovaries, this led to the phrase "the rabbit died.")
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Remember the wedding party last year? The daughter's in the family way."
idiom
- to be pregnant
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press 2009)
---
WORD ORIGIN
In the family way is a euphemism (a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word) for being pregnant. The expression stems from the Victorian period and is meanwhile old-fashioned. Britain underwent several social changes during this time that resulted in generally stricter moral views. Prostitution was labelled "The Great Social Evil," and any open discussion of bedtime activities was considered inappropriate.
Times change and so do our views. These days, most societies view pregnancy as something to celebrate rather than to be ashamed of. Still, the English language contains relics from days gone by, including phrases like "in the family way." Other polite and/or humorous ways of saying pregnant are:
- she's in trouble (This expression was popular in the U.S. in the 50s and 60s.)
- she's expecting
- she has a bun in the oven
- she got knocked up
- she's now eating for two
- the rabbit died (This phrase originated from a pregnancy test used in the 1920s/1930s that involved injecting female rabbits with the woman's urine. The rabbit's ovaries were then examined for damage caused only by the hCG pregnancy hormone. Since the rabbits were killed in order to examine their ovaries, this led to the phrase "the rabbit died.")
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Remember the wedding party last year? The daughter's in the family way."
