Urban English

They speak, but we don't understand their language.

Hey there! 😊 Our term of the day is ”Knocked up”, which means “become pregnant.”

According to the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, the phrase “knocked up,” meaning pregnant, first appeared in print in 1830.

The Oxford English Dictionary traces the expression back as far as 1813 and says it’s of American origin. An OED citation from 1836 refers to slave women who are “knocked down by the auctioneer, and knocked up by the purchaser.”

You need example sentences with pronunciation? Try our app for learning English slang - click the link onelink.to/ewf6kr

Special offer! Get 40% off our slang dictionary and other dictionaries! Coupon code: 40OFF (use at checkout) - https://learzing.com/slang