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Glite Dictionary
Heimlich maneuver

Heimlich maneuver

5 4.1
An emergency action that pushes a person's stomach to remove something when they cannot breathe
  • noun
  • /ˈhaɪmlɪk məˈnuːvər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : maniobra de Heimlich
  • If someone is choking, you should immediately call for help and perform the Heimlich maneuver.
  • perform the Heimlich maneuver
  • give the Heimlich maneuver
  • administer the Heimlich maneuver

And he picked me up and then he tried the Heimlich maneuver on me probably five times.

Examples

  • The Heimlich maneuver is a technique to help dislodge a foreign body in a case of choking.

    Academic text (2012)

  • As a result, she frequently chokes, and I have performed the Heimlich maneuver on her more times than I can count.

    Blog text (30)

  • And he picked me up and then he tried the Heimlich maneuver on me probably five times.

    Theo Von

  • I had to use the Heimlich manoeuvre on her.

    Undertaking Betty (2002)

  • You know how to do the Heimlich maneuver?

    Nothing in Common (1986)

  • What is the Heimlich maneuver?

    The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

  • While she was on the phone calling the ambulance, Ed had performed the Heimlich maneuver.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Peter tries to perform the Heimlich maneuver on Ruskin.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • She taught me the Heimlich maneuver too, and the three of us used to spend hours practicing it on each other.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Bob hurries to Marvin, lies beside him, and administers the Heimlich maneuver.

    Fiction book (1991)

How Invasive

cric
  • Jargon
9.9
intubation
  • Specialized
20 6.7
Heimlich maneuver
  • Specialized
5 4.1

Surface Forms

Heimlich maneuver singular
Heimlich maneuvers plural

Morphology

Heimlich + manoeuver

This is an eponymic phrase: 'Heimlich' is a proper name and gives no transparent descriptive meaning to most learners, while 'maneuver' only signals a generic technique. The specific sense (abdominal thrusts to expel an airway obstruction) cannot be derived from the constituents, so it would not be predictable to a B1 learner who only knows the component words.

Etymology

Heimlich maneuver is named after Dr. Henry Heimlich; it is a simple maneuver of quick inward-and-up pushes on the belly that force air up to push food out of the throat. Think of squeezing a balloon in the belly to push the food out, so the phrase means 'to clear a blocked throat'.