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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.
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?
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.
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?
Meaning of knock up in English. knock up. phrasal verb with knock verb uk / nɒk / us / nɑːk / Add to word list. Players knock up before beginning a game of tennis or similar sport by hitting the ball to each other: The players have a couple of minutes to knock up before the match starts. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
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.
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...
Jun 2, 2024 · knocked up (not comparable) ( slang, principally American, sometimes offensive) Pregnant, typically outside of marriage . Synonyms: see Thesaurus: pregnant. ( slang, archaic) Exhausted; worn out or used up.
Knocked-up definition: (idiomatic, slang) Pregnant , typically outside of marriage .
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English knock somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb informal 1 MAKE to make something quickly and without using much effort Michael knocked up a shed in the back garden. 2 British English WAKE UP/GET UP to wake someone up by knocking on their door What time do you want me to knock you up in the morning ...
