Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. pregnant.

1897		W.S. Maugham Liza of Lambeth (1966) 127: I didn’t know as Liza was thet way.
1908		Truth (Brisbane) 29 Nov. 5/8: The girl’s father [...] is heart broken, because the girl is ‘in that way’ agaln, and resort will undoubtedly once more be made to the abortionist.

2. drunk.

1925

O.O. McIntyre New York Day by Day 29 Aug. [synd. col.] He came back [...] wearing an Alpine affair with a feather that resulted in three shipboard news reporters getting that way again for an entire week.

3. homosexual.

1925		Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer 156: ‘Is Oglethorpe that way too?’ Ruth nodded several times.
1947		C. Willingham End as a Man (1952) 169: Not me, son, I’M not THAT way.
1953		F. Brown Madball (2019) 68: ‘Some guys are that way, that’s all. In Sammy’s case I’d say it’s a break for him Jesse’s like that’.
1961		‘Lou Rand’ Gay Detective (2003) 38: What makes you think they were ‘that way’?
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 52: Just for cod, name me two Hollywood stars who aren’t that way.
2001		J. Stahl Plainclothes Naked (2002) 104: Old Tony Z and Mini-Mac. Are they that way? Little lovebirds? Maybe they’ll be bunkies in Lewisburg. Up there in Section Three, the Femme Tier. Bitch City .

4. in love, also as v.

1928		W. Winchell Your Broadway & Mine 10 Dec. [synd. col.] Elsie Ferguson and Frieda Hempel’s ex [...] are That Way.
1930		J. Lait Gangster Girl 28: I’m that way over you in a big way.
1930		W. Winchell On Broadway 8 Jan. [synd. col.] Margaret Shotwell [...] and Lew Golder [...] are That Waying it.
1934		R.L. Bellem ‘Sleeping Dogs’ in Spicy Detective Sept. 🌐 Anyhow, I now knew that Leneta Leonard and Croft were actually ‘that way’ about each other.
1948		J. Archibald ‘Klump a la Carte’ Popular Det. July 🌐 Sure, I’m still that way uver my big hunk of manpuwer [sic].
1955		E. Hunter ‘See Him Die’ in Jungle Kids (1967) 104: I don’t go for her because Marie and I are that way.

5. of a given character, e.g. voyeuristic.

1939

V. Davis Gentlemen of the Broad Arrows 97: The screw was a bit that way, too.