"knock up" --usage

[Baker, John]

        I would say that it was mildly offensive and inappropriate, but
not a hanging offense.  Although the phrase usually refers to an
unwanted pregnancy out of wedlock, it has been ameliorated in recent
years and now is used not infrequently to refer to pregnancy in wedlock.
The first listing on Google for "knocked up" is for a Salon article
entitled "'So, why aren't you knocked up yet?' Since I got married,
everyone and their mailman has asked me this question."  IIRC, the movie
Mystic Pizza (1988) included the line "I've only been married two hours
and she wants me to get knocked up."

John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of FRITZ JUENGLING
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 4:26 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "knock up" --usage

Recently I was at a  church picnic. I was standing around with my wife
and several other people chatting about the usual stuff.  One of the
women, about 30 years old, in the group was pregnant.  A man, about 50,
came and joined the group and the first thing he said was, speaking to
the pregnant lady "Well, I see you got knocked up!"  He thought he was
quite (in the American sense of the word) funny.  I thought that remark
was extremely rude and inapropriate.  My question, am I just a prude or
was this really just the remark of a jerk?
Would appreciate any comments.
thanks,
Fritz