meatball surgery en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Coined or popularised by Richard Hooker in the novel MASH (1968).
Meanings
- (colloquial, uncountable, usually) Surgery performed rapidly in a military field hospital to stabilize the patient as quickly as possible.
- (uncountable, usually) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see meatball, surgery.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| meatball surgeries | Number=Plur | lexicographic |