New Slang Words Hospital Doctors Are Using On The Wards

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 25 Dec 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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Medical language and slang is constantly evolving and this week's Christmas issue of the BMJ takes a look at the new words hospital doctors are using on the wards.

Dr Paul Keeley, a consultant in palliative medicine lists the following words, and others, as ones which doctors would do well to familiarise themselves with:

Disco biscuits: otherwise known as the class A drug, ecstasy. The phrase might be used by an A&E doctor, for example, "the man in cubicle three looks like he's taken one too many disco biscuits."

MacTilt: The tilting of the head by a Macmillan nurse, a specialist palliative care nurse. It is intended to convey sympathy and understanding.

Hasselhoff: An injury with a bizarre explanation presenting to Accident and Emergency. Named after the former Baywatch actor David Hasselhoff who suffered a freak injury in 2006 when he hit his head on a chandelier while shaving. The broken glass severed four tendons and an artery in his right arm.

Testiculation: The holding forth with expressive hand gestures by a consultant on a subject on which he or she has little knowledge.

Blamestorming: A session of mutual recrimination during which a multidisciplinary team attempts to apportion blame for a glaring error.

Agnostication: The (usually vain) attempt to answer the question, "How long have I got, doc?"

"Pimp my slang"
Paul W Keeley
BMJ 2007;335:1295 (22 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.39414.699005.94
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