| 1. | a wedding occasioned or precipitated by pregnancy. |
| 2. | Informal. a compromise, merger, accord, etc., occasioned by necessity: The coalition government was obviously a shotgun wedding. |
| shotgun marriage n. A marriage that is forced or necessitated because of pregnancy. Also called shotgun wedding. |
| Main Entry: | shotgun wedding |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a marriage of necessity, often hurried due to pregnancy; also, a marriage that is part of a deal or accord; also called shotgun marriage |
shotgun wedding
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Shotgun wedding
An agreement or compromise made through necessity, as in Since neither side won a majority, the coalition government was obviously a shotgun wedding. This expression alludes to a marriage precipitated by a woman's pregnancy, causing her father to point a literal or figurative gun at the responsible man's head. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.