Search results
A shotgun wedding is a term that is used to describe a wedding that is forced or required because of pregnancy. The origins of the term are unclear, but it has become a part of popular culture and is used figuratively to describe any situation where two parties are forced to come together quickly and unexpectedly.
This expression alludes to a marriage precipitated by a woman's pregnancy, causing her father to point a literal or figurative gun at the responsible man's head. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s. See also: shotgun, wedding. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
What Is a Shotgun Wedding? Traditionally, a shotgun wedding is a marriage ceremony in which the participants are forced to marry, presumably under the threat of being shot with a shotgun. Generally, a shotgun wedding occurs when the participants have engaged in premarital sex, the woman has become pregnant, and her father expects her honor to ...
a compromise, merger, accord, etc., occasioned by necessity: The coalition government was obviously a shotgun wedding. shotgun wedding. noun. informal. a wedding into which one or both partners are coerced, usually because the woman is pregnant. Discover More. Word History and Origins. Origin ofshotgun wedding1.
shotgun wedding. noun [ C ] old-fashioned informal us / ˌʃɑːt.ɡʌn ˈwed.ɪŋ / uk / ˌʃɒt.ɡʌn ˈwed.ɪŋ / (US also shotgun marriage) Add to word list Add to word list. a marriage that is arranged very quickly and suddenly because the woman is pregnant. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Weddings. altar.
Feb 17, 2024 · The simple answer is a shotgun wedding refers to a wedding that is done in a hurry usually because a couple finds out they’re pregnant. So what’s the big deal? Times have changed!
Mar 17, 2023 · shotgun wedding (plural shotgun weddings) ( idiomatic, slang) A wedding in which the bride is already pregnant . If Red Skelton's joke can still elicit laughs, it is only because there is a minority who can still remember a shotgun wedding and even recall the understandings that lay behind that insistence, now seeming quaint, that a couple ...
