in the family way
2
8.4
- idiom
- Archaic
:
embarazada
- I wouldn't be surprised to hear she's in the family way.
- get in the family way
Examples
-
She is clearly in the family way, and everyone is excited for her.
-
Some boys might have run out on you when they found you were pregnant, but when I told Pink I was in the family way, he was so excited he hugged me and said we'd run off to any place.
Fiction book (1990) -
I am in the family way.
-
Well... she's in the family way.
-
You're not in the family way, are you?
-
In my twenties, I guess I was lucky I didn't get in the family way, for all the carrying on I did.
Fiction book (1994) -
When she told her friends she was in the family way, they were thrilled to celebrate with her.
-
I noticed Maria is in the family way; she hasn't been drinking wine at dinner.
Synonyms
1
8.4
To be pregnant and expecting a baby
1
9.9
A woman who is expecting a baby
1
9.4
Having a baby growing inside you
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts 'in' + 'the' + 'family' + 'way' yield a sense of being in a familial manner or route, which does not directly indicate pregnancy. This phrase is an older euphemism whose meaning ('pregnant') is idiomatic and not predictable from the constituents, so a B1 learner knowing the words would likely not infer the intended sense.
Etymology
In the family way may come from the simple image of a baby being 'on the way' into the family, so the woman is 'in' that way. That's why the phrase is a polite way to say 'pregnant'.