Hate the word "jab" in the media.

This reminds me of a visit to the vet a few years ago for Millie's annual booster.

We have quite a few American serviceman and their families living locally and while waiting I chatted to a woman and her little girl who was very taken with Millie and sat of the floor cuddling her.

I said we were only there for Millie's jab.

The mother explained to the little girl what jab meant reassuring her that it wouldn't hurt the dog. She then turned back to me and said, 'We call them shots!' (I knew that)

I would have loved to ask Millie whether she would rather be jabbed or shot but thought better of it.

Santanna I haven't seen those photos (drawing blood) today but have seen a number of photos of what look like subcutaneous or intradermal injections over the last week or so. I understood this was a regular intramuscular vaccine - but clearly people choosing photos for illustration purposes don't care about accuracy.

merlotgran ?

I agree with you NotSpaghetti. I prefer ‘injection’. Not at all pompous, just the medical term, and compared to some other medical terms I’ve come across, a fairly simple one.

Being a Scot “jag” is used rather than injection.

jab is a good word in scrabble or wordswithfriends if you get it on the double squares you can get 56 points..

"You may feel a small scratch" says the nurse at our practice then proceeds to take an armful of blood!

Were you related to Tony Hancock Callistemon?

Jab, jag, injection, vaccination, shot, take your pick of the one that upsets you least. I take it you are not saying that you won’t have the vaccination because you don’t like the word ‘ ‘jab’, NS.

I remember standing in line at school to have my TB jag as it was called in Scotland. We were then given a small metal cage to protect the area.

I do normally prefer medical terms but the fact a vaccine is now available trumps what anyone calls it.

Parsley3 no, not at all! It's the word I can't bear- in the media particularly (happy for people to use it informally if it works for them).

I must admit to thinking that jab sounds a bit casual but, it covers the meaning.

Marydoll Your post brought back memories. Having lived in Edinburgh for four years as a child, jag was the word I used and was laughed at for using it when we moved to Kent. The other memory was after an injection at school (for what I don’t recall), we had red ribbons tied around the injected arm so the other children would know the arm was tender and avoid knocking it.

Callistemon In all my years of nursing, I never used the expression a small scratch. It did not make much sense to me,

Were you related to Tony Hancock Callistemon?

I just looked in the mirror and, in repose, I have that morose look

Help!

Callistemon In all my years of nursing, I never used the expression a small scratch. It did not make much sense to me
Nor to me, Tweedle - it's a little prick followed by a dull ache.
But yes, that is what they say at our practice.

People have used ‘jab’ for as long as I can remember, and I’m fairly ancient. One syllable as opposed to 4 in vaccination, and 5 in inoculation. Much easier to fit into headlines, as in our Times front page today - ‘Jabs mean freedom ‘by Easter’’.

My dentist always says little prick. Which we both have to laugh at. Tricky when he's got his hands in my mouth.

It's been going on now for 30 years.

As for jab, I've never found it upsetting or annoying

I thought that's what a lot of medics say

janeainsworth

I complained to the BBC about it, notspaghetti.
The word ‘jab’ is not only slang & unprofessional but is also very triggering for many people with a needle phobia & could actually deter people from getting the vaccine.

I did not know that people really complained to the BBC, thought it was just something said in a comedy programme. Did they reply?

The worst thing I heard on TV yesterday was a Ryanair advert which proclaimed that now that vaccination is here it's safe to book holidays because now you can "Jab and Go!". I kid you not.

I couldn't believe the new Ryan Air ad, which says we can all book our holidays now an 'just jab n go'.

So you all have jags in Scotland?? Have always wanted one, a very superior car.
Remember the old children's rhyme ‘Hark Hark the dogs do bark, the beggars are coming to town, some in rags and some in jags and one in a velvet gown’ which always seemed a bit strange, I mean if they have a jag then they’re not a beggar.?
I said this once to my Grandma who laughed and said it’s an old word meaning to jape or dance around acting the fool.

Crossed posts Ailidh

The word jab does conjure up a picture of a nurse or doctor lunging at your arm with a needle!

She did last time with the flu vaccination!
I was trying to pull up my sleeve when she said "I'll go in from the top", hauled down the neck of my jumper and jabbed the top of my arm.
Wham, bam, thank you ma'am.
(At least I couldn't see it.)

I did not know that people really complained to the BBC, thought it was just something said in a comedy programme. Did they reply?
It wasn’t a formal complaint patsy.
I just made a comment on the Today programme’s Twitter thing.
Not being fully competent in Twitter use, I don’t know if anyone responded or not.
It obviously fell on deaf ears though!

It’s been ‘jag’ in all three areas of Scotland I’ve lived in.

Lemongrove, we all have jags in Scotland, courtesy of the SNP.

When I was a child in East Yorkshire, we called them pricks. I prefer jag or jab.