Friday 27 May 2011

Cracking The Codes On Medical Jargon


Doctors may treat their patients with professional concern, but privately they could well be summing them up as GLMs, FLKs or TBPs.

These are codes used by some very literate doctors to describe their patients to colleagues in sometimes unflattering terms.

GLM is a ‘good looking mum’ who probably has GLL – ‘great looking legs.
FLK is a ‘funny looking kid’ while a TBP is a ‘total bloody pain’.
JLD: Just Like Dad
LOL: Little Old Lady as oppose to laugh out loud. 

An intoxicated man turning up in AnE might well have a UBI, or ‘unexplained beer injury’, and if he was particularly rude he might be a CLL or ‘complete low life’.

Other jargons include ‘house red’ for blood, ‘slashers’ for general surgeons, ‘Freud Squad’ for psychiatrists and ‘departure lounge’ is - understandably - the geriatric ward.

Impressive to the point whereby these professionals know how to stay humourous when dealing with what ought to be one of the most stressful jobs on earth.  

I suppose next time we make a compliment, we can consider this...

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