Saturday night palsy en · NOUN
Etymology
Introduced mistakenly as a simplification of saturnine palsy, a complication of lead poisoning which has a similar presentation. Folk etymology associates it with carousing and intoxication on Saturday nights, which causes the individual to fall asleep in unnatural positions, such as on a chair or bed with one arm hanging over the edge.
Meanings
- (informal, uncountable) Paralysis due to radial nerve compression in the arm, resulting from direct pressure against a firm object.