General
q-sign
What does q-sign mean?
The grim sequel to the O-sign. Mouth gapes open like an O, tongue flops out the corner, and now the whole picture reads as a lowercase q. In ward slang the Q-sign means the patient has deteriorated past O-sign and isn't coming back without serious intervention. There's a darker variant — 'dotted Q' — where a fly has landed on the tongue, meaning it's already over.
"Came back from coffee and the old boy in six had gone Q-sign on us."
Origin
Anglo-American hospital slang, mid-20th century. Pairs with O-sign.
Frequently asked questions
What does Q-sign mean?
Medical dark humour: it's the O-sign (mouth open) plus the tongue hanging out, signalling a patient who is basically done.
How do you use Q-sign in a sentence?
"By the time I got to the ward he was full Q-sign."
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