title: Etymologic evolution of emergency paging euphemisms.
abstract: Emergency paging euphemisms such as "code call," "blue 100," or "Dr. Ambu" have the potential to become part of the technical vocabulary of medicine through the human tendency to use words creatively; yet this process may occur with considerable diversity of intended meaning, and a loss of precision in speech or thought may result. This study demonstrates that the informal verbification and further etymologic evolution of a paging euphemism at one medical center has resulted in words which mean different things to different users and listeners.
mesh_terms: D004631:Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D009513:New Hampshire; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009626:Terminology as Topic