...found herself pregnant to him

[TheParser]

A current British writer wrote a sentence something like (very loosely): "Ms. X found herself pregnant to Mr. Y."

Americans would use "by."

Are both prepositions acceptable in the United Kingdom? (Here in the States, they certainly are not.)


Thank you

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Hopefully, the typo will be brought to the publisher's attention.

"B---- and H--- had fallen for each other over legendarily long drinking sessions in Hong Kong. ... As his marriage disintegrated, H--- found herself pregnant to B----."

Source: Paul French (born in London and educated at a Scottish university -- according to Wikipedia ), Through the Looking Glass / China's Foreign Journalists from Opium Wars to Mao (2009).

 

[MikeNewYork]

For me it is not idiomatic. That is serious enough.

 

[BobK]

This reminded me of a Paradise Lost quote that I had drummed into me over 40 years ago - but it's stayed with me (to the exclusion of useful things like remembering to buy the milk ;-)) because it's so far from idiomatic. Ceres is described as Yet virgin of Proserpina from Jove: Ceres hadn't yet been made pregnant by Jove, the result of which pregnancy was Proserpina (more commonly known as Persephone, world-renowned eater of pomegranates). There are two prepositions that have never been used before or since in that way.

b

 

[Raymott]

That construction sounds entirely acceptable to me. "She fell pregnant to some farm hand or other."

"Erica Parker is reportedly pregnant to Seal."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/en...477780852?sv=5a695bb27dda917cbac76aba38067524

 

[MikeNewYork]

"Pregnant to" is not very common.

Ngram

 

[MikeNewYork]

We can certainly see a trend. For me, it is conclusive.

 

[MikeNewYork]

A true non sequitur.