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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