question, my friends

[roxy]

Is a kidney dish a UK thing? If it is, why do I call it a kidney dish?

Comments

[strgazr04.livejournal.com]

Isn't that the kidney shaped bowl hospitals have incase a patient is going to get sick?

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Yes!! Free Dictionary tells me it's a British thing, and apparently American is emesis basin, but I thought kidney dish was universal. Weird.

Anyhoo, I'm going with kidney dish for my story, it sounds better. :)

[strgazr04.livejournal.com]

I've heard it both ways and I've from NY. But then again, I've been through surgeries and things growing up so I may have more hospital themed vocab than most.

[stir-of-echoes.livejournal.com]

I don't know what it's called elsewhere but it's pretty much called that because it's shaped liked a kidney :)

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Exactly! It's so obvious what it should be called--kidney-shaped thing, right? But Free Dictionary tells me that Americans say emesis basin. I'm wondering if other Americans have heard it called that because I can't recall ever hearing it called that.

[stir-of-echoes.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've never heard it called that either, but emesis means getting sick or vomitting and as they're often used for that maybe that's why it's called an emesis basin.

[bubblesbrnaid]

Speaking as an American who's spent way too much time in hospitals, I've only ever heard that thing called a kidney basin when we bothered to call it something other than "Here, use this if you hurl." Of course, I'm in the South, so it could just be a regional thing. (My grandmother had this semi-Elizabethan pronunciation going on with some verbs.)

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Ah! Very interesting, I hadn't thought about it also being a regional thing.

[smalltrolven.livejournal.com]

I've never heard kidney dish used, and I've unfortunately been in several hospitals (mostly on the west coast of the USt, but once in NY). When I was a kid the nice nurses who were trying to relate to me on a "kid level" called it a barf bowl. Which made me at least smile when I was ill. I have heard emesis basin from more by-the-book nurses, that's the official way I guess. More likely is "here use this, you look like you have to vomit,"

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

I've been fortunate in not having a lot of experience with hospitals, so this is all new to me. I'm taking from this that it's kind of a regional thing, though I think barf bowl is definitely the most accurate description of the thing. :D

[peepingdru.livejournal.com]

VERY muchly an OZ thing::DDDDDDDD

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

It's so odd. I wrote kidney dish when I started that part of the story and then stopped to check because I do that sometimes, throw in UK stuff without realizing it. Maybe it comes from being raised by a mom who spoke English as a second language and was taught "British" English in school? *G*

[peepingdru.livejournal.com]

I LOVE hospital terminology...at least it USUALLY stays the same...sort of.
Kidney dish...bunny rug...donkey rope....monkey bar::DDDD
Mind u I was told the drug trolley has to be called the medication trolley cos otherwiase it has a bad connotation for the recipients...rofl::DDDDD

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

Kidney dish in Australia.

Yes, I've been given one to vomit in, but they are used for a lot more than just emesis.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid to ask....

[tifaching.livejournal.com]

I've always heard it called kidney dish too. Huh. The one's I've worked with are way too small for anything larger than a cat to be sick into.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

See? Free Dictionary is a liar. Everyone calls it a kidney dish!

I'm dropping bullets into mine.

In my story, not here at home.

You knew that....

:)

[tifaching.livejournal.com]

Of course I did......

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

[tifaching.livejournal.com]

Haha, I was wishing I had a shifty eyes doohickey! Perfection!

[meus_venator]

They call it a kidney dish in Canada too.

When I first read your post though I thought you were talking about food though LOL. A kidney dis, as in a UK thing and all I could think of was kidney pie, then people were talking about throwing up and it all got kind of ooey from there!

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

LOL!!!

It's always so interesting in my comments! :D

[aurora-bee.livejournal.com]

Yup kidney bowl/dish here in the UK. I do wonder why it is kidney shaped though? Is it to put enlarged kidneys into? You couldn't cook in it, could you? I suppose you could do a casserole..

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGG!!!

No good images there, Baby!!!!!

[danceswithgary]

I've only heard it called a kidney dish, although I know what an emesis basin is. From NY here, so maybe it is a regional thing. I'd use kidney dish myself.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely going to use kidney dish.

Before looking it up, it would never have occurred to me that medical equipment might have a regional name! So interesting!

[firesign10.livejournal.com]

Oh boy, can't WAIT to read THAT scene LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Ach, no, it's so silly, it's one little toss-away line in the middle of a bunch of other stuff--I just get obsessed about odd things, lol!!

[tabaqui]

My dad (Navy medic and anesthesiologist) and my mom (ER/surgical nurse) both called it an emesis basin. HOWEVER.

An emesis basin isn't really used for vomiting - a bigger, more box-like basin is usually used for that. A so-called kidney dish gets its shape so that the curved side can be pressed against a patient in order to catch fluid or matter when a wound is being washed/debried/dressed.

Here's more info. :)
http://www.answers.com/topic/emesis-basin-2

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

This is all so fascinating! I'm really impressed with y'all! And to think, it's a single line in the fic!

came out cleanly, and hit the kidney dish they were dropped into with three tiny clinks.

And that's all we hear of the kidney dish. But I just wanted to know, would they say kidney dish in America? You know how it goes....

[tabaqui]

Dude. I have stalled on a fic for *three days*, trying to find just such information for just such a throw-away line. It is what it is. :)

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

*clings*

We're two of a kind, cousins, even. Not identical. We don't walk alike, or look alike or try to even talk alike...

*koff*

[tabaqui]

*snerk*

:)

[quiet--tiger.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've heard that expression before... I would guess something to do with cooking. If you said "emesis basin" I'd be able to picture it. (though I thought maybe it was shaped like a kidney).

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Exactly! It's shaped like a kidney, and I always called it a kidney dish in my head. Not like a yum, that's a delicious kidney dish, that is. I've heard emesis basin but I guess it didn't set in my mind like kidney dish. Maybe because I kind of like the word kidney. It sounds friendly and cute. :)

Oooooor, maybe I'm just kinda weird. :D