General
crock
What does crock mean?
The patient on your list with a 14-system review of complaints, a stack of normal scans, and no diagnosable disease. Sometimes genuinely somatising, sometimes anxious, always exhausting. Crosses into outright contempt when it sticks to the same patient through multiple admissions.
"She's a crock — fifth admission this year, every workup normal, every doctor a 'horrible person' by the time she discharges."
Origin
Shortened from 'crock of shit' — the chart full of symptoms that don't add up to a diagnosis. Studied formally in a 1983 Cambridge sociolinguistics paper alongside 'gomer' and 'turkey' as the classic trio of undesirable-patient labels.
Frequently asked questions
What does Crock mean in medical slang?
A Crock is a patient with endless vague complaints but nothing actually wrong on examination.
Is Crock offensive?
Yes, it's derogatory hospital slang and not something said in front of the patient.
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