What does this saying mean.

[VICTORIA]

A friend of mine was having a conversation with an elderly gent. They were talking about a child that had been born in the workhouse and when his mother married her husband would not take child into his family. ( not father of child) The elderly gent said " he would have slipped under the rainbow?? Never heard this saying.
Any ideas?
Victoria

[Plummiegirl]

I would say that the child was illegitimate & the new husband was not prepared to take on another man's child.

[douglasmills]

Maybe it's the same as "slipped under the radar"?

[dennford]

To be over the rainbow means that you are a happy soul. I guess that refusing to take the child he would be a mean old sod - hence under the rainbow.

That is only my take on the saying, and life in general.

Denn

[LizzieW]

I guess that refusing to take the child he would be a mean old sod

I quite agree, and I don't think much of the mother marrying a man who didn't want her child.

[heitch]

There is another thread (on here somewhere ) about illegitimate children and baby-farms...


...I hope that was not meant by the term, "under the rainbow".

[VICTORIA]

Thank you all for your thoughts. I wonder about comment about illegitimate children and "baby farms" I know this child had an unhappy childhood He was supposed to be adopted by a couple but the man died so the adoption never took place and later he passed through several "homes" when eventually he was taken in by a woman who was not a very nice person. 
Victoria