pregnant pause

A long pause in speech that indicates a lot of meaning or significance. There was a pregnant pause when the topic changed to Grandpa's will, and everyone could tell that something shocking was about to be revealed. The most telling part of his speech was the pregnant pause before he denied any wrongdoing.

pregnant silence

A long pause in speech that indicates a lot of meaning or significance. There was a pregnant silence when the topic changed to Grandpa's will, and everyone could tell that something shocking was about to be revealed. The most telling part of his speech was the pregnant silence before he denied any wrongdoing.

pregnant with (something)

Full of, or fraught with, or having a lot of something. Just before naming the guilty party, he gave a pause that seemed pregnant with meaning, and I wondered whether he was telling me the truth. Her speech was pregnant with emotion, and her eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke.

you can't be a little bit pregnant

proverb You either are pregnant or you aren't. Thus, this phrase is used of situations that are clearly and definitively one way and not another. If we choose to break off from the company and establish our own firm, then that's what we have to commit to—you can't be a little bit pregnant, you understand?

you can't be half pregnant

you can't be a little bit pregnant

People say you can't be half pregnant or you can't be a little bit pregnant to talk about situations which are very clear and definite or where you need to be completely involved. We did, however, pick up a valuable lesson: you can't be half-pregnant. To be successful in business, you must be able to give it your full commitment. He opposed sending in troops because, as he puts it, `there was no such thing as being a little bit pregnant': once the step had been taken, it would be impossible to set limits.

a pregnant pause (or silence)

a pause or silence that is laden with meaning or significance.

a pregnant ˈpause/ˈsilence

a pause/silence in which everyone is waiting or listening for something, or a moment of silence which is full of meaning: There was a pregnant pause while everyone waited to hear what she had to say.