cabbage
n.— «The most common surgeries used to be tonsillectomy and hysterectomy. Today it’s Cardiac Bypass or “cabbage” in doctor speak, which ironically is the result of not eating any.» —“Big Fat Liars” by Al Rosas Well Fed Network Mar. 21, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there...
Kate in Omaha, Nebraska, wonders about the expression Doctor of Humane Letters, an honorary degree conferred by Creighton University. The words humane and letters in this case mean something slightly different from their modern meanings. The older...