meatball surgery

English

Etymology

Coined or popularised by Richard Hooker in the novel MASH (1968). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

meatball surgery (usually uncountable, plural meatball surgeries)

  1. (surgery, military, colloquial) Surgery performed rapidly in a military field hospital to stabilize the patient as quickly as possible.
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see meatball,‎ surgery.

Hypernyms