a left-handed marriage
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A morganatic marriage (#.v.), in which the husband gave his left hand to the bride instead of the right, when saying, "I take thee for my wedded wife.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a left-handed marriage” mean?
A morganatic marriage (#.v.), in which the husband gave his left hand to the bride instead of the right, when saying, "I take thee for my wedded wife.
Is “a left-handed marriage” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.