What does the phrase "kill the rabbit" mean?

Question

I heard it on a show, and in a book.

Answer 1

I think they're quoting Elmer Fudd in the Bugs Bunny cartoons. He would sing that line to the tune of Ride of the Valkyries. Actually, he sang "kill the wabbit."

But it's also possible that Elmer's line was taken from an earlier reference of which I am unaware.

check this: http://www.thomasvillecentral.com/operadoc.htm

To all of you who are citing the old pregnancy tests, the phrase that was used is: "the rabbit died." Not "kill the rabbit."

Answer 2

Sometimes you hear "the rabbit died." It depends on the context and I may be off, but years ago there was a pregnancy test that used a rabbit.

A woman who wanted to know if she were pregnant would give a sample of urine to a doctor or whoever was performing the test. This was injected into a doe rabbit. After a period of time, the rabbit was killed and the ovaries examined. If they were tumorous, the woman was carrying a baby, if not, she was in the clear.

This is probably something that existed up through the 1950s.

This site explains it better than I have.

Answer 3

Before the days of "At home pregnancy tests," a woman had to go to the doctor for a test. In the test, if the rabbit 'died', the woman was pregnant. NO LIE. I got word the rabbit died when the Dr. office told me I was pregnant with my first child.

Answer 4

In order to determine if a woman was pregnant, they would use a rabbit, injecting it with the urine of the pregnant woman.

In order to see it the rabbit experience changes, the rabbit was killed and the ovaries examined.

to 'kill the rabbit' means that the woman is pregnant

Answer 5

They used a live rabbit to test for pregancy. If the rabbit died
after being injected with a womens urine, the woman was preggers.

Answer 6

sounds like rabbit stew for dinner to me since now a days labs use frogs or chemicals for pregnancy tests.