Definitions
Wiktionary
- n. A pause that gives the impression that it will be followed by something significant.
Examples
“When he finished describing this bizarre scene, there followed a long, pregnant pause before Bob White responded.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pregnant pause’.
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Quaint Turns of Phrase
cut of his jib, do the square thi..., laws-a-massy, saints preserve us, napoo finny, pregnant pause, top o' the mornin', no spring chicken, worth each other'..., in high dudgeon, take umbrage, gives me the pip and 236 more...
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Obtuphemisms
Absurd euphemisms to reference who-knows-what.
parking spot, unbirdly, business juice, prairie rocket, styrofoam feelings, copulative compound, interestingnessfu..., pregnant pause, information package, endowment effect, netherlands, toxic assets and 31 more...
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p is for...
my favorite voiceless bilabial plosive.
panacea, persnickety, panache, provenance, preternatural, penumbra, perfunctory, perspicacity, potentate, pinguid, plainsong, pleonastic and 228 more...
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♦ Mia's invisible list ♦
Wordie vocab, wordlets and wordlings, as well as some commenty Wordie threads. Not that you can see anything, mind.
kleptonarcissist, sapiosexual, firewall account, death by tweakage, homoblivious, multishirking, slacktivism, compulsive shoppi..., waambulance, madeupical, godswallop, word apnea and 199 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for pregnant pause.
reesetee Skip, you are truly a splendid piece of work. :-) Jul 29, 2008
mialuthien Wow, Skipvia, you win the internets today! That was a very well-thought out and age-appropriate explanation! And I'll never look at the word conjunction the same way again. *g* Jul 25, 2008
chained_bear (score two...) Jul 25, 2008
skipvia It's like this, bilby. When a subject and an object love each other very much, they might get together to form a sentence. It's called "conjunction," and it's a very beautiful act. And if conjunction works, pretty soon a little dependent clause may come to live with them.
Like the one in the second sentence above.
Now, go ask your mother... Jul 25, 2008
bilby But, but, but daddy, where do independent clauses come from? Jul 25, 2008
chained_bear Oh, ha, ha, ha!! Score one for skipvia!! You win. :) Jul 25, 2008
skipvia A dependent clause? Jul 25, 2008
dontcry A pregnant pause gives birth to, usually, an uncomfortable situation. Just like a pregnant woman! Jul 25, 2008
bilby What does a pregnant pause give birth to? Jul 25, 2008
mialuthien Yes, yes, yes, but when is it due? *taps foot* You can't wait indefinitely, as far as I know (and far be it from me to know). Jul 25, 2008
chained_bear I don't know--I'll try to find out--but it does seem to make sense. A pause that is, you know, really FULL... Expectant... Waiting... Jul 25, 2008
mialuthien As per Chained_Bear's suggestion (see a resounding silence). Does someone know of the origin of this phrase? Otherwise, I can't help but wonder who knocked up the pause and is the lucky father... Jul 25, 2008