family way — noun : condition of being pregnant used with in and the or a she is in the family way again Mary W. Shelley she gets herself in a family way and is then, as a matter of course, married off G.H.Shuster … Useful english dictionary
family way — noun Date: 1796 condition of being pregnant used with in and the or a < she is in a family way > … New Collegiate Dictionary
family way — noun See in a family way … Wiktionary
family way — see in the family way … How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms
In a family way — Family Fam i*ly, n.; pl. {Families}. [L. familia, fr. famulus servant; akin to Oscan famel servant, cf. faamat he dwells, Skr. dh[=a]man house, fr. dh[=a]to set, make, do: cf. F. famille. Cf. {Do}, v. t., {Doom}, {Fact}, {Feat}.] 1. The… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
In the family way — Way Way, n. [OE. wey, way, AS. weg; akin to OS., D., OHG., & G. weg, Icel. vegr, Sw. v[ a]g, Dan. vei, Goth. wigs, L. via, and AS. wegan to move, L. vehere to carry, Skr. vah. [root]136. Cf. {Convex}, {Inveigh}, {Vehicle}, {Vex}, {Via}, {Voyage} … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
In the family way — Family Fam i*ly, n.; pl. {Families}. [L. familia, fr. famulus servant; akin to Oscan famel servant, cf. faamat he dwells, Skr. dh[=a]man house, fr. dh[=a]to set, make, do: cf. F. famille. Cf. {Do}, v. t., {Doom}, {Fact}, {Feat}.] 1. The… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
in a family way — or[in the family way] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Going to have a baby. * /Sue and Liz are happy because their mother is in the family way./ * /The Ferguson children are promising kittens to everyone because their cat is in a family way./ Compare:… … Dictionary of American idioms
in a family way — or[in the family way] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Going to have a baby. * /Sue and Liz are happy because their mother is in the family way./ * /The Ferguson children are promising kittens to everyone because their cat is in a family way./ Compare:… … Dictionary of American idioms
in the family way — (euphemistic) Pregnant • • • Main Entry: ↑family in the family way see under ↑family • • • Main Entry: ↑way * * * in the family way informal old fashioned phrase pregnant … Useful english dictionary