play doctor
Amateur medical roleplay
Play doctor describes children examining each other's bodies, typically in imitation of medical checkups.
The phrase acknowledges childhood curiosity about anatomy while euphemizing its sexual undertones: Mom found us playing doctor in the closet.
Adults use it sarcastically for amateur medical advice or, suggestively, for roleplay involving medical scenarios.
Act as though
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- roleplayAdopt another's perspective
- dress-upPlay involving costumes
costume · stethoscope · toys · playtime · game · fun · acting · playhouse
Determine a disease's nature
- self-medicateTreat ailments without supervision
- home remedyHomemade medical treatment
- examineStudy with attention
- symptomsIndicators of disease
treatment · bandage · first aid · splint · improvise · untrained · unqualified · risky
pretend
Act as though
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- roleplayAdopt another's perspective
dress-up · costume · stethoscope · toys · playtime · game · fun · acting · playhouse · nurse
diagnose
Determine a disease's nature
- self-medicateTreat ailments without supervision
- home remedyHomemade medical treatment
- examineStudy with attention
symptoms · treatment · bandage · first aid · splint · improvise · untrained · unqualified · risky · misdiagnose
curiosity
Desire to learn
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- innocenceFreedom from wrongdoing
- anatomyStudy of organism structure
bodies · childhood · discovery · privacy · normal · developmental · natural · hidden · secret · taboo
- make-believefake crying, air guitar