polio colloq.
(ˈpəʊlɪəʊ)
[Abbrev. of poliomyelitis.]
1. Poliomyelitis, esp. the paralytic form. Freq. attrib.
| 1931 Survey 15 Oct. 93/1 (heading) Panic and polio. 1934 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Feb. 10/1 How did the polio fighter..come to catch it? 1940 Time 2 Sept. 37/2 (heading) Polio scare. 1949 New Harmony (Indiana) Times 5 Aug. 1/5 New Harmony was doused..by a spraying plane..as a precautionary measure against polio. 1955 G. Greene Quiet American iv. ii. 241 My son's got polio. He's bad. 1955 Sci. News Let. 23 July 51/1 Children are the principal carriers of polio, and if enough children are immunized, it would probably not be necessary to vaccinate the adults in order to stamp out the disease. 1962 Observer 11 Mar. 8/4 Last year I had a play..out on tour... There was a polio scare in Hull, and the star didn't want to play. 1977 Daily Tel. 9 Mar. 8/4 Doctors have cleared two girl polio suspects in Greater Manchester. |
2. A person who has, or has had, polio. rare.
| 1934 Ladies' Home Jrnl. Feb. 107/1 Health departments of cities and states poured out money to buy serum from recovered polios to try to cure already sick babies. 1962 Guardian 26 Sept. 8/5 ‘Polio’,..a person who has been paralysed by polio. |