scratch test
1
3.5
- noun
- /skrætʃ tɛst/
- Specialized
:
prueba de alergia
- Before starting her treatment, the doctor recommended a scratch test to identify her allergies.
Examples
-
During the appointment, the nurse explained how the scratch test would help determine any allergic sensitivities.
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- No standard scratch test?
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The Scratch Test
Fiction book (2001) -
Most recently, there have been studies suggesting that positive skin scratch test results to allergens are not sufficient to diagnose allergies.
Blog text (19) -
The studies suggesting the gap between positive allergy skin scratch tests and clinical symptoms have been used to fuel public critiques of measures taken to protect allergic children.
Blog text (19) -
He felt relieved when the results of the scratch test showed he was not allergic to the medications.
Synonyms
2
3.5
A medical test that puts a small amount of something on the skin to check for allergy or past infection
A small medical test that puts a tiny amount of an allergen under the skin to see if you react
A test that puts small sticky pads with substances on skin to check for allergy
A medical test that puts a small amount of an allergy-causing substance under the skin to see if you react
How Invasive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines 'scratch' (a small skin mark/wound) and 'test' (an examination), so its meaning is directly compositional: a test that uses scratches. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer this refers to a medical procedure applying scratches to the skin to check for allergic sensitivity, making the expression straightforward and cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
Scratch test comes from the simple, literal method doctors use: they make tiny skin scratches and put small drops of things that might cause an 'allergy' to see which spots go red. That's why a scratch test shows which things cause a 'reaction' or 'allergy'.