full moon
A chaotically busy, weird shift blamed on the lunar cycle
Definitions
Slang invoking the folk belief that emergency departments get busier and stranger during a full moon.
full moon In A Sentence
Origin & Usage
Longstanding hospital folklore.
People Also Ask
What does 'full moon' mean in a hospital?
It invokes the folk belief that emergency departments get busier and stranger during a full moon; staff use it to describe a chaotic, weird shift.
Is it true that full moons make hospitals busier?
It is folklore. Studies have not reliably confirmed the effect, but the belief persists strongly among hospital staff.
How is it used?
As shorthand for an unusually hectic or bizarre shift, e.g. 'must be a full moon' when everyone presents at once.
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