shotgun wedding

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A wedding in which the bride is already pregnant.
  2. A wedding made in haste or under duress.
  3. Any similarly reputedly forced partnership, between people, organizations, components, or concepts.

Pronunciation

En-au-shotgun wedding.ogg

Word forms

shotgun wedding shotgun weddings

Etymology

From the implication that the groom was forced to the altar by shotgun-wielding relatives of the bride.

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