Doc in a box

[Greg Roberts]

It is in current use in the Washington DC metro area, but I don't know for
how long.  My experiance with "doc in a box" has been rather neutral.
However, just recently, my doctor used the term pejoratively.  In other's
experience, has "doc in a box" been used to disparage the care given in the
urgent care centers, or has it been used more for word play?

Greg Roberts

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
Of Herb Stahlke
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 12:12 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Doc in a box


I've been using the phrase "doc in a box" to refer to the
ubiquitous "Urgent Care Centers" since the early 1980s, when the
first began appearing in Central Indiana.  Just now I used the
phrase while talking with my department chair, who is probably
15-20 years younger than I, and he hadn't heard it before.  How
widely is it used?

Herb Stahlke
Ball State University