Sawbones Meaning in English
word
ˈsɔˌboʊnz
SAW-bohnz
sˈɔːbəʊnz
SAW-bohnz
Definition
An old-fashioned, informal, and sometimes humorous way to refer to a doctor or surgeon, especially from past centuries.
Usage & Nuances
Almost always used humorously or sarcastically today. Sounds old-fashioned or like pirate slang. Not appropriate for formal or modern medical contexts. Often used in stories set in the past or to jokingly refer to doctors.
Spanish: matasanos (coloquial) - cirujano (antiguo/coloquial)Portuguese (BR): médico (informal) - barbeiro-cirurgião (histórico)Portuguese (PT): médico (informal) - cirurgião-barbeiro (histórico)Chinese (Simplified): 庸医（俚语） - 骨科医生（旧称）Chinese (Traditional): 庸醫（俚語） - 骨科醫生（舊稱）Hindi: नीम-हकीम (अनौपचारिक/पुराना डॉक्टर)Arabic: طبيب جراح (قديمة - عامية) - حكيم (ازدراء، عامية)Bengali: হাড়কাটা ডাক্তার - জল্লাদ ডাক্তারRussian: костоправJapanese: ヤブ医者 - 骨切り医者Vietnamese: lang y - ông thầy thuốc (hài hước, cổ xưa)Korean: 뼈 자르는 의사 - 돌팔이 의사Turkish: çakma doktor - kasap doktorUrdu: قصاب ڈاکٹرIndonesian: dokter jagal - tukang bedah (zaman dulu)
Example Sentences
The old pirate called the doctor a sawbones.
basic
In old stories, a sawbones is the ship's doctor.
basic
The wounded man asked for the sawbones.
basic
Relax, the sawbones will patch you up in no time.
natural
Back in the day, every army had its own sawbones.
natural
My uncle jokes that his doctor is just a modern sawbones.
natural