make an honest woman of

make an honest woman (out) of (someone)

To marry a woman that one is dating. You've been dating Carrie for quite some time now, Pete. When are you going to make an honest woman out of her?

See also: an, honest, make, of, woman

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

make an honest woman of someone

Fig. to marry a woman. (Intended as jocular.) So you finally made an honest woman out of Denise. She had wanted Max to make an honest woman of her, but you can't depend on Max to do anything right.

See also: an, honest, make, of, woman

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

make an honest woman of

marry a woman, especially to avoid scandal if she is pregnant. dated or humorous

Honest here originally meant ‘respectable’, but was probably associated with the archaic sense ‘chaste or virtuous’.

See also: an, honest, make, of, woman

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017