an open marriage

A marriage between two people who do not object to each other continuing to have other sexual or romantic partners. A: "Lila has a new boyfriend? I thought she was married to Chad." B: "Oh, they have an open marriage." Don't worry, I still date other people—my wife and I have an open marriage. I get jealous very easily, so an open marriage would not work for me!

dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage

proverb When you dream that someone has died, it is often followed by the news that they are getting married. A: "Did you hear that Bill is getting married?" B: "Wow, I just recently dreamed that he had died! It really is true that you dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage." I wouldn't be too freaked out that you dreamed Amanda died. Often, you dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage—at least, that's what my grandmother always used to say. A: "Hey, didn't you say that you dreamed Phil died? Guess what—he is getting married!" B: "Huh, who knew it was true? 'Dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage.'"

See also: and, dream, funeral, hear, marriage, of

left-handed marriage

1. A marriage in which a person of royal or noble birth marries a person of a lower social class, thereby foregoing the latter's ability to inherit the title or estate of the former. More technically known as a "morganatic marriage." The idea of a left-handed marriage leaving the small monarchy without a true queen rankled many people both in and out of the court.

2. An adulterous relationship. The former governor had been predicted to win the presidential election in a landslide, until the details of his left-handed marriage became public knowledge and he started tanking in the polls.

marriage inequality

A term applied to same-sex couples that are not able to have their relationship legally recognized (such as by marriage). I hate that my sister is subject to marriage inequality just because she is in a relationship with a woman.

marriage made in heaven

A very happy marriage or partnership. Cindy and Mark look so happy together. That's a marriage made in heaven. Merging our bakery with the ice cream parlor next door was a great idea—it's a marriage made in heaven.

marriage music

obsolete Children's screams and cries. That cacophony of sounds that are now keeping you up all night, why that's simply marriage music, my dear. You had better get used to it.

marriage of convenience

A legal marriage that happens primarily or solely for practical purposes, rather than love. Any couple suspected of entering into a marriage of convenience to bypass the need for work permits may be investigated and have their marriage license revoked at any time. Back when homosexuality was illegal, many gay men and women entered into marriages of convenience to protect them from public scrutiny.

marriages are made in heaven

proverb It is a divine power that ultimately plans or decides who should marry whom, outside of the control of the people in the marriage. My grandmother, a devout Catholic, still believes that marriages are made in heaven, so she was disgusted with me when I divorced my wife for her adultery. We were sweethearts when we were kids, then we didn't see each other again for nearly 40 years. Then, all of a sudden, we met, fell in love, got married, and are living an extraordinarily happy life together—marriages, it seems, are in fact made in heaven.

save (oneself) for marriage

To abstain from engaging in sexual intercourse or activity until one is married. I was worried he wouldn't want to keep seeing me once he found out I was saving myself for marriage, but he was incredibly understanding about it. Some people made fun of me for it, but I'm glad I saved myself for marriage.

sham marriage

A legal marriage that happens primarily or solely for practical purposes, rather than love. Any couple suspected of entering into a sham marriage to bypass the need for work permits may be investigated and have their marriage license revoked at any time. Back when homosexuality was illegal, many gay men and women entered into sham marriages to protect them from public scrutiny.

shotgun marriage

A marriage that happens quickly due to an unplanned pregnancy. We knew it was a shotgun marriage when Frank's new wife had a baby five months after the wedding.

traditional marriage

1. A term for marriage between a man and a woman, typically used by those who consider the marriage of a same-sex couple to not be legitimate. Of course I value traditional marriage, but I don't understand why same-sex marriage can't be legal as well.

2. A marriage featuring the traditional customs of a particular group or society. In this country, a traditional marriage is celebrated with a lengthy religious ceremony attended by the entire town.

white marriage

A marriage that has not been consummated. Translated literally from the more common French term mariage blanc. Due to my husband's serious illness, we have had to have a white marriage. We entered into a white marriage in order to get Tom a visa to remain in the country.

Dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage.

and Dream of a funeral and you hear of a wedding.

Prov. If you dream that a person has died, you will learn that person is to be married. Alan: I had a dream last night that my sister was killed. Jane: Dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage.

See also: and, dream, funeral, hear, marriage, of

a marriage made in heaven

and a match made in heaven

a happy or harmonious marriage or partnership. (See also .) The partnership of George and Ira Gershwin was a match made in heaven; they wrote such beautiful songs.

Marriages are made in heaven.

Prov. You cannot foretell who will marry whom.; Two people may love each other very much but may end up not marrying each other, and two people who do not even know each other may marry each other in the end. Tom and Eliza were childhood sweethearts, had a happy family, and now are celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Marriages are made in heaven.

marriage of convenience

a marriage concluded to achieve a practical purpose.

This expression was used by Joseph Addison in the early 18th century, translating the French mariage de convenance , which has itself been current in English since the mid 19th century.

1949 George Bernard Shaw Buoyant Billions The proportion of happy love marriages to happy marriages of convenience has never been counted.

a ˌmarriage/ˌmatch made in ˈheaven

a combination of two people or things which seems perfect: When she married Dave, everyone thought that theirs was a match made in heaven. ♢ A merger between the two leading mobile phone networks would appear to be a marriage made in heaven, but will consumers lose out?

a ˌshotgun ˈwedding/ˈmarriage

(old-fashioned, informal) a marriage which takes place because the woman is pregnant

This expression probably refers to the father of a woman, who threatens to shoot the man unless he marries her.

marriage made in heaven, a

A match decreed by destiny; a very successful pairing. Already a well-known adage by the mid-sixteenth century, this term was quoted many times over and appeared in numerous proverb collections. It was often used sarcastically but was largely confined to actual matrimony until the twentieth century, when it began to be applied to other kinds of match— as, for example, a merger of two business corporations.