meatball surgery
Hasty wartime procedures
Meatball surgery is rough, rapid medical treatment focused on keeping patients alive rather than achieving ideal outcomes.
The term comes from the Korean War, where field surgeons performed hasty operations to stabilize casualties for evacuation.
It now applies to any quick-and-dirty fix: We don't have time for elegance—this is meatball surgery.
Temporary military medical facility
- triageSeverity-based prioritization
- combat medicMilitary first responder
- casualtyPerson harmed in disaster
- shrapnelScattered explosion fragments
medevac · frontline · stretcher · evacuation · warzone · amputation · morphine · blood loss
Profuse discharge of blood
- stabilizeMake firm or constant
- resuscitationRestoring vital functions
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
- lifesavingPreserving human existence
triage · anesthesia · suture · incision · clamp · hemostat · forceps · gauze
Temporary, improvised substitute
- jury-riggedTemporarily fixed with scraps
- scavengedCollected from waste
- resourcefulSkilled at solving problems
- inventiveShowing original thought
unconventional · ad hoc · MacGyver · repurposed · stopgap · cobbled · scrounged · adaptive
Iowa resident's nickname
- Korean War1950s peninsula conflict
- swampWaterlogged land with vegetation
- mess tentPortable military dining area
- latrineBasic outdoor toilet
Alan Alda · Klinger · chopper · sitcom · dramedy · antiwar · gallows humor · Seoul
Uneven in surface
- primitiveIn earliest form
- rudimentaryIn simplest possible form
- basicFundamental in nature
- unrefinedNot processed or polished
hasty · imprecise · brutal · unpolished · slapdash · quick-and-dirty · bare-bones · no-frills
field hospital
Temporary military medical facility
- triageSeverity-based prioritization
- combat medicMilitary first responder
- casualtyPerson harmed in disaster
shrapnel · medevac · frontline · stretcher · evacuation · warzone · amputation · morphine · blood loss · wounded
hemorrhage
Profuse discharge of blood
- stabilizeMake firm or constant
- resuscitationRestoring vital functions
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
lifesaving · triage · anesthesia · suture · incision · clamp · hemostat · forceps · gauze · retractor
makeshift
Temporary, improvised substitute
- jury-riggedTemporarily fixed with scraps
- scavengedCollected from waste
- resourcefulSkilled at solving problems
inventive · unconventional · ad hoc · MacGyver · repurposed · stopgap · cobbled · scrounged · adaptive · creative
Hawkeye
Iowa resident's nickname
- Korean War1950s peninsula conflict
- swampWaterlogged land with vegetation
- mess tentPortable military dining area
Alan Alda · Klinger · latrine · chopper · sitcom · dramedy · antiwar · gallows humor · Seoul
rough
Uneven in surface
- primitiveIn earliest form
- rudimentaryIn simplest possible form
- basicFundamental in nature
unrefined · hasty · imprecise · brutal · unpolished · slapdash · quick-and-dirty · bare-bones · no-frills · expedient
meatball surgerymicrosurgery
Magnified procedures on minute structures
elective surgery · reconstructive surgery · cosmetic surgery · plastic surgery · precision medicine
meat, ball, meats, meaty, meatier, meatiest, meatiness, balls, balled