Brenna, a nurse in Rapid City, South Dakota, says she was on a hospital elevator full of people and when the doors opened and someone in the back was trying to get off, she piped up with One side or a leg off!, but no one understood that phrase. It...
Kamela works as a nurse in Anchorage, Alaska. When she asked a patient how how he was doing post-surgery, the man responded with Well, I haven’t grown gills yet. It’s a jocular way of acknowledging that although he hadn’t recovered...
Johnny or johnny gown, meaning hospital gown, is a term most associated with New England. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Johnny Gown” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Marianne calling from Jackson...
Here’s a handy word: fomite. It means “an inanimate object that can transmit an infectious agent” like a doorknob handle or a comb infested with head lice. It also has a picturesque Latin origin. Martha explains, and shares a...
Susan, a nursing student in Madison, Wisconsin, asks why medical shorthand uses GTTS to mean “drops” or “drips,” as in medication given by drip. The abbreviation comes from Latin gutta, “drop,” with the vowels removed and an English plural -s added...
bucket baby n.— «“What is a Bucket Baby?” “A foal or calf or whatever that has not got a mother to nurse for whatever reason and it fed milk or milk replacer with a bucket instead of a bottle.”» —“Re: ’Bucket...
