crock n.— «Hospital staff privately refer to them as “crocks”—people who repeatedly show up in emergency rooms demanding expensive, exhaustive tests to unearth the elusive cause of their numerous symptoms. Reassurance that their tests...
coining n.— «An emergency room doctor discovers red abrasions on a child’s back from “coining,” a traditional Asian healing practice of vigorously rubbing a warm coin on the skin to cure illness.» —“Sweeping...
deadman’s curve n.— «In its ruling, the F.A.A. said that, by hovering at low altitudes, “sightseeing helicopters are operating in the avoid area of the height-speed envelope (deadman’s curve).” A helicopter flying too low...
lean forward v. phr.— «In the parlance of hurricane preparedness, Chertoff made clear in the letter that the federal government is “leaning forward” to assist Louisiana this hurricane season, something it was accused of...
move over law n.— «Florida has what’s called a Move Over law. Here’s how the driver’s handbook explains it: “When driving on interstate highways or other highways with two or more lanes traveling in the direction of the emergency...
blue canary n. an emergency worker (especially a police officer or first responder) whose death alerts other personnel to a hazardous situation. Etymological Note: From the use of canaries in coal mines, whose death would alert miners to the...