An instance of in-group slang (was Re: Hospital slang)

[Wilson Gray]

"Diluted milk of magnesia": precisely the words with which my wife
described it. I take that to mean that no flavor or coloring was added
to the basic drink. I presume that "barry slushie" is in-group slang,
perhaps peculiar to the staff at the particular hospital where my wife
had the procedure done. Perhaps I should have given this a more
appropriate title, such as the one above.

There does exist a kind of crushed-ice confection aimed at the
pre-adolescent demographic that's called a "slushie" in some locations,
including this one.
On Aug 11, 2005, at 11:01 PM, Douglas G. Wilson wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Hospital slang
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
>> My wife had to get a CAT scan today. She reports that hospital
>> personnel referred to that awful barium drink that you have to take as
>> a "barry slushie."
>
> CT oral contrast material is either very dilute barium sulphate
> suspension
> or a solution of an iodine compound, and I'm not sure the patient
> would be
> informed of which one he would receive. Either way the consistency
> would be
> like that of water (or close). The barium type would have little
> flavor but
> would be sort of chalky, maybe like diluted milk of magnesia ... but
> there
> are all sorts of flavored versions  ... so maybe there's one named
> "berry
> slushie" for all I know. The iodine type has an intrinsic flavor which
> reminds me of very bad pastis or anisette; again it is often flavored.
> (Other people have expressed very different impressions from mine.)
>
> Sometimes the stuff is flavored by mixing it with something like
> Kool-Aid,
> and I think there is a similar fruit-flavored product with the brand
> name
> "Slushie", so maybe this is the reference.
>
> I inquired of a CT technologist (Pittsburgh area), who routinely serves
> oral contrast material but who has never heard of "slushie" applied to
> this
> material. I've never heard it myself either.
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>