American medical slang for a small, standalone urgent-care clinic — the kind of walk-in facility that has proliferated in strip malls and high-street locations across the US, offering quick medical consultations without an appointment. The 'box' refers to the boxy, prefab or retail-unit feel of many such clinics, and the tone is affectionate but slightly dismissive, suggesting a place for minor ailments rather than serious care. As urgent care has boomed, doc-in-a-box has become a widely recognised shorthand.
She didn't want to wait six hours at the ER for a sprained ankle, so she drove to the doc-in-a-box on the main road instead.
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(medical, slang) A small medical clinic.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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