Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MALINGER

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"MALINGER" Meaning: To malinger is to pretend like you're sick so you don't have to do your work. To malinger can also be to pretend like you have mental or physical symptoms. Pronunciation: muh LING er Part of speech: Intransitive verb. (Like “sleep,” “skydive,” and “succeed,” all intransitive verbs show complete action on their own and do not do action to an object. You sleep, you skydive, you succeed, and that’s it. You don’t “sleep a bed,” “skydive a plane,” or “succeed a plan”. Likewise, someone malingers.) Other forms: malingered, malingering, malingerer How to use it: Talk about someone who malingers, someone who tends to malinger or never malingers, someone who gets caught malingering, etc. You could suspect that some is malingering, accuse someone of malingering, find evidence of malingering, notice a pattern of malingering, and so on. Who malingers? And why? Students malinger, so they don't have to go to school. Employees malinger, to skip out on work. Soldiers malinger, so they don't have to fight. Patients and research participants malinger, to get attention or to make an impression or to get better treatment. I should mention, too, that malingering can also be exaggerating how sick you are rather than totally inventing your illness. I think one of my bosses at the drug store back in college suspected me of malingering. "Whenever you call in sick, it's always on a weekend," he told me. True. But I only worked weekends! Sadly, some addicts are experts in malingering so as to get the prescription drugs they want, and they can just switch doctors if they get called out on it. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "malinger" means when you can explain it without saying "fake sick" or "exaggerate your symptoms." Think of a day when you really didn't want to go to work or school, and fill in the blank: "When I knew I'd have to (do something unpleasant at work or school,) I considered malingering instead." Example: "When I knew I'd have to deal with the whole mess-load of cranky customers who come in right after church lets out, I considered malingering instead." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, challenge your powers of memory and recall (or just get ready to reign supreme on Wheel of Fortune) as we play with two-word phrases that you’ll find in a dictionary. We’ll start off with easy tasks and advance to harder ones as the month goes on. See the right answer to each question the following day. You might even see a new phrase that inspires your curiosity and makes you look it up. Have fun! (Note: Every dictionary recognizes a different set of two-word phrases. I used the OED to make these game questions.) Yesterday's question: What’s a two-word phrase that you might say to mean "flipped around the opposite way"? Answer: Vice versa! (It's fun to say, hence the exclamation point!) Try this one today: What’s the two-word phrase that you exclaim in surprise that seems to involve a grasshopper-like creature? A Point Well Made: H. L. Mencken: "Any man who afflicts the human race with ideas must be prepared to see them misunderstood." 1. The opposite of MALINGER is A. EDIT AND REVISE DOCUMENTS B. ACCEPT AND PERFORM DUTIES C. RECORD AND ANALYZE DATA 2. She malingered, _____. A. sprawled out on the couch trying to look puny B. curled up on the bathroom floor after her breakfast wouldn't stay down C. so alarmed by her high fever and chills that she drove herself to a nearby clinic Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A Exploring the archives: Today's "malinger" might remind you of Ferris Bueller, the star malingerer from that 80's movie. He taught us all how to make our hands feel clammy so we could skip school. Let's stick with this 80's thing for a moment. What word might you associate with Doc Brown from Back to the Future? He's a f______, a totally kooky but likable person with visions of the future.