gander month
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
One of the later months of a pregnancy, when the pregnant woman cannot engage in sexual intercourse and her partner might be expected to seek it elsewhere.
Register: slang
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
That month in which a man's wife-lies in: wherefore, during that time, husbands plead a sort of indulgence in matters of gallantry.
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Sense 3
the period when the monthly nurse is in the ascendant, and the husband has to shift for himself. Probably from the open choice he has during that period.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “gander month” mean?
One of the later months of a pregnancy, when the pregnant woman cannot engage in sexual intercourse and her partner might be expected to seek it elsewhere.
Is “gander month” formal or informal?
gander month is generally slang.