kill the rabbit

English

Etymology

Before the days of instant pregnancy tests, a woman's sample was injected into a rabbit. There were several varieties of tests; one allegedly would kill the rabbit if the pregnancy hormone was present in the sample (most accounts indicate the rabbit was killed and dissected either way.)

Phrase

kill the rabbit

1. (obsolete, idiomatic): To get a positive test result from an old-fashioned pregnancy test.

   "What about her?" "She killed the rabbit."