kill the rabbit

verb

To get a positive test result from an old-fashioned pregnancy test.

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

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Meanings

verbkill the rabbit (third-person singular simple present kills the rabbit, present participle killing the rabbit, simple past and past participle killed the rabbit)

present singular third person kills the rabbit · participle present killing the rabbit · participle past killed the rabbit · past killed the rabbit

  1. datedslangTo get a positive test result from an old-fashioned pregnancy test.

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

Origin

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.)

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

kill the rabbit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kill%20the%20rabbit

MLA

“kill the rabbit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kill%20the%20rabbit. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kill the rabbit,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kill%20the%20rabbit.

Source: kill the rabbit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.