Linguist, lexicographer, radio host, public speaker

“I Laugh at the Suffering of Others,” from

;One patient I remember evidently wasn’t consented thoroughly enough, or was too flipped out to pay attention to the definition of “intrathecal delivery.” So she was a bit put off when she came to realize on the first day of treatment that it means “a large needle is put into your spinal column.” She politely refused treatment by screaming the medical staff to death. Many patients feel their gumption wane ever so slightly as well when presented with the joyous prospect of a bone marrow biopsy. “Do you mind terribly if we insert this large-bore needle into your (pause for sinister emphasis) pelvic bone? You know, the thick excruciating part. We sometimes have to get a Samoan to jump on it to force it in properly.”

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Grant Barrett