pill pusher
- noun
- /pɪl ˈpʌʃər/
- Offensive
:
vendedor de pastillas
- He didn't want to be seen as just a pill pusher who hands out prescriptions without caring about his patients.
Examples
-
Some people refer to their pharmacists as pill pushers, but that's not really fair.
-
As a doctor, she found the label pill pusher insulting to her years of medical training.
-
The local pharmacy has a pill pusher who is very helpful.
-
Some people refer to Dr. Smith as a pill pusher.
-
He didn't want to be labeled a pill pusher for merely distributing medications without genuinely helping his patients.
-
Many patients feel that a pill pusher only cares about prescribing drugs instead of providing comprehensive care.
-
Some refer to their local pharmacist as a pill pusher, often implying a lack of personal connection in healthcare.
Synonyms
100
3.0
A person who makes and gives out medicines and tells people how to use them
17
2.8
A person who makes and sells medicines in a pharmacy
10
9.9
A person who prepares and sells medicines, especially in the past
5
4.4
A person who makes and sells medicines in a pharmacy
1
4.1
A doctor or nurse who can order medicine for a patient
A person who prepares and gives medicines, usually a pharmacist
How Derogatory
- Offensive
38
8.6
- Offensive
39
8.4
- Offensive
- Archaic
5
4.4
100
3.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound directly combines 'pill' (a tablet/drug) with 'pusher' (a person who sells or supplies drugs), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes someone who sells/promotes pills or drugs. The illicit or unethical nuance is signalled by 'pusher' and the overall meaning is compositionally predictable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
The phrase pill pusher may come from the image of a medical worker sliding small pills across a counter like objects being pushed. Because that image shows little care, people use the term as an insult for a doctor or pharmacist who only 'dispenses medicine'.