What’s the meaning of the word raunchy? A woman in Indianapolis, Indiana, thinks it means something bawdy or ribald, but to her husband’s family the word can mean “icky” or “unpleasant.” She learned this when one of them mentioned that her husband’s grandfather was feeling raunchy. What they mean was that he had a bad cold. The word raunchy has undergone a transformation over the years, from merely “unkempt” or “sloppy” to “coarse” and “vulgar.” This is part of a complete episode.
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I do believe that I can clear this one up. I think that at some point the family conflated the words “raunchy” and “rhonchi,” a medical term for lung sounds produced when there is buildup of secretions in the bronchial airways, often caused by a severe cold or pneumonia. (AEMT)
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