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Jan 24, 2024 · The phrase "knocked up" is an idiom that has been used for centuries to describe a woman who becomes pregnant, usually unexpectedly or out of wedlock. While it may seem like a crude and disrespectful phrase to use, its origins actually stem from a more innocent and literal meaning.
The ‘impregnate’ meaning of ‘knock up’ was coined in the USA in the late 19th century. There is of course another meaning to ‘knock up’, which is ‘awaken someone by knocking’. This second meaning isn’t widely used in America, although it is still commonplace in Britain.
KNOCK UP definition: 1. Players knock up before beginning a game of tennis or similar sport by hitting the ball to each…. Learn more.
If you knock something up, you make it or build it very quickly, using whatever materials are available. [ informal ] Could you possibly knock me up some scrambled eggs?
The idiom "knock someone up" means to get someone pregnant. Take care when using this idiom because it has a negative connotation. Here are some examples...
Jul 15, 2024 · I ask him why she doesn't get on methadone while she's knocked up. He says because she not only uses heroin but she's a crystal meth head and a crack head to boot. She got knocked up by a John she picked up one night hooking. ( slang, archaic) Exhausted; worn out or used up .
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English knock somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb informal 1 to make something quickly and without using much effort Michael knocked up a shed in the back garden. 2 British English to wake someone up by knocking on their door What time do you want me to knock you up in the morning? 3 informal not polite t...
Knocked-up definition: (idiomatic, slang) Pregnant , typically outside of marriage .
to prepare or make something quickly and without much effort. She knocked up a meal in ten minutes. See knock up in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Definition of knock up phrasal verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Apr 12, 2014 · From "Knocked up" to mean "woken up", it appears that the meanings split somewhere between the 1920s and the 1940s. Does anyone know the history of how the meanings split and exactly why and how it happened?
