Dr. Genius and the Medicali Crew

picture me: i'm riding in a shuttle van from the cancun airport to my all-inclusive wedding resort get-a-way (for my friend's, wedding, NOT my own) and with me are a handful of newly-graduated medical students (none of whom i know) who are headed for the same destination. the ringleader of the group (who will be referred to as Dr. Genius) is a generously fed woman in her late twenties with a snout where a nose should be and a voice that would make a braying donkey sound like celine dion on her best day. she blabs and she blabs the whole ride through...about how she likes to party, about her astonishment that she hasn't yet found a man (i roll my eyes here) and about all the food she's going to eat when she gets to the resort. swell. like we give a shit. then she proceeds to tell of her frustration at her patients' all-too-common ignorance. the conversation goes as follows:

Dr. Genius: "i mean, i know you're a plumber or whatever, but do you never have time to read?? come on!"

Other Doc: "why, what happened?"

Dr. G: "well, i was explaining to him that his symptoms, while equivocal to flu symptoms, were really just from a bad cold"

Other Doc: "you're always using big words like equivocal, maybe that's why they're confused"

Dr. G: "yeah, you know, you're probably right. i just like to use the exact right word to mean what i have to say, ya know? it's like so good that way. more people should do it. it just sucks when people look at you like they have no idea what you're saying. whatever, pick up a book, people! hahahahha!" snort!snort!

hmmmm, dr. g, could it be that your poor blue collar patient was so dumb as to not understand how his symptoms could be equivocal to those of the flu?...or is it that "equivocal" ACTUALLY means:

"of uncertain nature or significance"

and you're an idiot?

for the record: the word you MEANT to use was "equivalent."

god help your patients.