hospital

hospital pass

1. In sports, especially rugby, a pass to a teammate who will be heavily tackled as a result. Their scrum half took a devastating blow after that hospital pass from his flanker. Dang, man, do you hate the new guy? Because you really gave him a hospital pass there! Wow, their running back seems awfully dazed after that hospital pass.

2. A task, project, or case (as in law) that will result in or bring a great amount of criticism upon the person to whom it is assigned. No one likes having to take a case defending the murderer of a child, but every person is entitled to legal representation. I suppose I'll just have to accept that this will be a hospital pass for me. None of the residents are in favor of the new shopping center, so the firm that agrees to build it will be taking on quite a hospital pass. So I have to defend the guy who's up on rape charges? Great, thanks for the hospital pass, boss.

See also: hospital, pass

in hospital

Receiving medical or surgical treatment, care, or attention at a hospital. Primarily heard in UK. My grandmother is in hospital again for hip surgery. I heard you were in hospital last week! Are you all right? A: "Sheila's in hospital? My goodness, what happened to her?" B: "She had a bad fall, I'm afraid."

See also: hospital

in the hospital

Receiving medical or surgical treatment, care, or attention at a hospital. My grandmother is in the hospital again for hip surgery. I heard you were in the hospital last week! Are you all right? When you have a serious chronic illness like Sophie does, you're in the hospital a lot, unfortunately.

See also: hospital

rush to the hospital

1. To travel to the hospital as quickly as possible. I rushed to the hospital when I heard my wife had gone into labor. It's just a minor cut. No need to rush to the hospital or anything.

2. To transport someone to the hospital as quickly as possible. We rushed him to the hospital after he collapsed on the floor. We had to rush the woman to the hospital in a helicopter because of her remote location.

See also: hospital, rush, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

rush someone to the hospital

to take someone to the hospital very quickly. They had to rush her to the hospital because she had stopped breathing. We rushed Uncle Harry to the hospital after he complained of chest pains.

See also: hospital, rush, to

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.