play doctor
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of play doctor
First recorded in 1920–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With two crucial second act songs still unwritten, the opening night is postponed by two weeks and Michael Bennett, an in-demand play doctor ever since he staged “A Chorus Line,” is brought in for advice.
From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2021
Having witnessed firsthand what can happen when you play doctor on your own life, I now have a seven-day pill organizer to keep me on track.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 11, 2021
“We’d play doctor and patient, or teacher and student,” said Tenbarge, who is a student at Ohio State University, studying journalism.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2018
A team of undergraduates from Abertay University in Dundee has created Sanitarium, a game that invites people to play doctor.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2015
"You're to play, doctor?" some cried, running to the dog-cart.
From The Little Minister by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
