Medical Idioms

at death’s door

- very near death

The Prime Minister was at death’s door after suffering a serious stroke.

back on one’s feet

- physically healthy again

My mother is back on her feet again after being sick with the flu for two weeks.

black out

- lose consciousness, faint

The football player blacked out after being hit by the other player.

break out

- begin showing a rash or other skin disorder

I broke out in a terrible rash after eating the raw shrimp at the restaurant.

breathe one’s last

- to die

The man finally breathed his last after a long illness.

bring around/round

- restore to health or consciousness, cure

The medical workers were able to bring the man around after the accident.

bring to

- restore to consciousness, wake from sleep/anesthesia/hypnosis/fainting etc

The woman was brought to soon after the car accident.

catch a cold

- get a cold

I caught a bad cold last week and had to miss three weeks of work.

catch one’s death of cold

- become very ill (with a cold, flu etc)

The little boy was told to be careful in the rain or he would catch his death of cold.

check-up

- a periodic inspection of a patient by a doctor

I went to have my annual check-up last week.

clean bill of health

- a report or certificate that a person or animal is healthy

The doctor gave me a clean bill of health when I visited him last month.

come down with

- become sick with, catch

My niece came down with a bad cold and was unable to visit me last week.

couch doctor

- a psychoanalyst who puts his patients on a couch

He was sent to see a couch doctor after his continued problems at work.

dose/taste of one’s own medicine

- being treated in the same way as one treats others (usually a negative meaning)

Our boss got a taste of his own medicine when people began to ignore him as he had always done to them.

draw blood

- make someone bleed, get blood from someone

The doctor decided to draw some blood from the patient to check up on his blood sugar level.

fall ill

- become sick or ill

The man fell ill last winter and has not recovered yet.

feel on top of the world

- feel very healthy

I have been feeling on top of the world since I quit my job.

flare up

- to begin again suddenly (illness etc)

My mother’s skin problems flared up when she started to use the new laundry soap.

flare-up

- a sudden worsening of a health condition

His arthritus usually flares up every winter.

go under the knife

- be operated on in surgery

His wife went under the knife at the hospital last evening.

hang out one’s shingle

- give public notice of the opening of a doctor’s office etc

The doctor decided to hang up his shingle as soon as he finished medical school.

have a physical (examination)

- get a medical check-up

Our company sent all the employees to have a physical last week.

head shrinker

- a psychiatrist

The man was told to go and see a head shrinker after he threatened the woman in the store several times.

just what the doctor ordered

- exactly what is needed or wanted

A nice hot bath was just what the doctor ordered.

look the picture of health

- be in good health

My uncle was looking the picture of health when I saw him last week.

on the mend

- healing, becoming better

My grandfather is on the mend after he broke his leg last week.

out cold

- unconscious, in a faint

As soon as the patient entered the operating room he was out cold because of the anesthesia.

over the worst

- recovering from an illness

My brother is over the worst since his skiing accident last month.

pull through

- recover from a serious illness

The car accident was very bad and I don’t think that the driver will pull through.

run a temperature

- have a higher than normal body temperature

The little boy is running a temperature and should stay in bed all day.

run down

- get into poor condition

He was working very hard last month and has become very run down.

run some tests

- a doctor does some medical tests on a patient

The doctor has decided to run some tests on the patient.

splitting headache

- a severe headache

I have been suffering from a splitting headache all morning.

take a turn for the worse

- become sicker

My aunt took a turn for the worse last week and is still in the hospital.

take someone’s temperature

- measure someone’s body temperature

The nurse took my temperature when I went to the hospital yesterday.

throw up

- vomit

The woman threw up several times after eating the bad shellfish.

under the weather

- not feeling well

My boss has been feeling under the weather all week and has not come to work during that time.
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