iron lung

iron lung
: wouldn't work in an iron lung Extraordinarily lazy. The phrase derives from the artificial respirator that kept polio patients alive by 'breathing' for them in the days when up to ten thousand people annually were affected by poliomyelitis ('infantile paralysis') in Australia. When vaccinations became routine in the mid-1950s, the fear of polio disappeared. Barry Humphries commented in 1974: 'Work! Brits couldn't even spell it. Bloody poms couldn't work in an iron lung'.

Australian idioms. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • iron lung — i ron lung , n. A steel chamber, usually cylindrical, enclosing the entire body of a person except for the head, used to assist respiration for people suffering from disease, especially poliomyelitis. A reciprocating piston at the end causes… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • iron lung — n a device for artificial respiration in which rhythmic alternations in the air pressure in a chamber surrounding a patient s chest force air into and out of the lungs esp. when the nerves governing the chest muscles fail to function because of… …   Medical dictionary

  • iron lung — n a large machine with a metal case used to help people to breathe …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • iron lung — ► NOUN ▪ a rigid case fitted over a patient s body, used for administering prolonged artificial respiration by means of mechanical pumps …   English terms dictionary

  • iron lung — ☆ iron lung n. a large metal respirator that encloses all of the body but the head, used for maintaining artificial respiration in a person who has difficulty in breathing as a result of poliomyelitis, gas poisoning, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Iron lung — [ Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, California. 1953] An iron lung is a large machine that enables a person to breathe when normal muscle control has been lost or the work of breathing exceeds the person s ability. It is a form of medical ventilator.… …   Wikipedia

  • iron lung — /aɪən ˈlʌŋ / (say uyuhn lung) noun 1. a chamber in which alternate pulsations of high and low pressure can be used to force normal lung movements, used especially in some cases of poliomyelitis. –phrase 2. wouldn t work in an iron lung,… …  

  • Iron Lung Corp. — Iron Lung Corp. is a side project of members of Acumen Nation and The Clay People. Their music was featured in the Xbox game Amped 2.Discography* Big Shiny Spears (1996) * Ditch the Attitude, Pally (2002) …   Wikipedia

  • iron lung — Synonyms and related words: Aqua Lung, artificial respiration, aspiration, asthmatic wheeze, breath, breath of air, breathing, broken wind, cough, exhalation, expiration, exsufflation, gasp, gulp, hack, hiccup, inhalation, inhalator, inspiration …   Moby Thesaurus

  • iron lung — i′ron lung′ n. med a rigid respirator that encloses the whole body except the head and in which alternate pulsations of high and low pressure induce normal breathing movements or force air into and out of the lungs …   From formal English to slang

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