Yikes, Abbey:

How did we get back to the 'od' thing? Ah well...

You are absolutely right, of course that od can mean once a day. HOWEVER, we teach our nursing and medical students in North America to try NOT to use this! We don't want people making mistakes by thinking the abbreviation stands for something else on an order. This is a HUGE, HUGE problem with our ESL nurses and doctors: the interpretation of written orders. Although we always show our own students the variety of usages for od (O.D) , we try to standardize by having them use:
QD = once per day (also written qd)
OD = right eye

We also use the medical AND nursing diagnosis of OD, which means Overdose (on drugs).

Bye...
Melodie

Hey, you forgot about all the other things "do" could stand for, like:

do.
abbreviation for ditto.



.do
abbreviation: Dominican Republic (in Internet addresses).


n. Music
The first tone of the diatonic scale in solfeggio.

n. Slang pl. dos
A hairdo.


v. did, (dd) done, (dn) do·ing, does (dz)
v. tr.

To perform or execute: do one's assigned task; do a series of business deals.
To fulfill the requirements of: did my duty at all times.
To carry out; commit: a crime that had been done on purpose.

To produce, especially by creative effort: do a play on Broadway.
To play the part or role of in a creative production: did Elizabeth I in the film.
To mimic: “doing the Southern voice, improvising it inventively as he goes along” (William H. Pritchard).

To bring about; effect: Crying won't do any good now.
To render; give: do equal justice to the opposing sides; do honor to one's family.
To put forth; exert: Do the best you can.

To attend to in such a way as to take care of or put in order: did the bedrooms before the guests arrived.
To prepare for further use especially by washing: did the dishes.

To set or style (the hair).
To apply cosmetics to: did her face.
To have as an occupation or profession: Have you decided what you will do after college?
To work out by studying: do a homework assignment.
Used as a substitute for an antecedent verb: He can play the piano, and I can do that, too.
Informal.
To travel (a specified distance): do a mile in four minutes.
To make a tour of; visit: “ [He] did 15 countries of Western Europe in only a few days” (R.W. Apple, Jr.).

To be sufficient in meeting the needs of; serve: This room will do us very nicely.
Informal. To serve (a prison term): did time in jail; did five years for tax fraud.
Slang. To cheat; swindle: do a relative out of an inheritance.
Slang. To take (drugs) illegally: “If you do drugs you are going to be in continual trouble” (Jimmy Breslin).
Slang. To kill; murder.
Vulgar Slang. To have sex with; bring to orgasm.

v. intr.
To behave or conduct oneself; act: Do as I say and you won't get into trouble.

To get along; fare: students who do well at school.
To carry on; manage: I could do without your interference.
To make good use of something because of need: I could do with a hot bath.

To serve a specified purpose: This coat will do for another season.
To be proper or fitting: Such behavior just won't do.
To take place; happen: What's doing in London this time of year?
Used as a substitute for an antecedent verb: worked as hard as everyone else did.
Used after another verb for emphasis: Run quickly, do!

v. aux.
Used with the infinitive without to in questions, negative statements, and inverted phrases: Do you understand? I did not sleep well. Little did we know what was in store for us.
Used as a means of emphasis: I do want to be sure.

n. pl. dos or do's
A statement of what should be done: a list of the dos and don'ts of management.
Informal. An entertainment; a party: attended a big do at the embassy.
A commotion.
Chiefly British Slang. A swindle; a cheat.
Archaic. Duty; deed.
Slang. Fecal matter; excrement.

Phrasal Verbs:
do by
To behave with respect to; deal with: The children have done well by their aged parents.
do for
To care or provide for; take care of.
do in Slang
To tire completely; exhaust: The marathon did me in.
To kill.
To ruin utterly: Huge losses on the stock market did many investors in.
do up
To adorn or dress lavishly: The children were all done up in matching outfits.
To wrap and tie (a package).
To fasten: do up the buttons on a dress.
do without
To manage despite the absence of: We had to do without a telephone on the island.

Idioms:
can/could do without
To prefer not to experience or deal with: I could do without their complaints.
do a disappearing act Informal
To vanish.
do away with
To make an end of; eliminate.
To destroy; kill.
do it Vulgar Slang
To engage in sexual intercourse.
do (one) proud
To act or perform in a way that gives cause for pride.
do (one's) bit
To make an individual contribution toward an overall effort.
do (one's) business
Slang To defecate. Used especially of a pet.
do (one's) own thing Slang
To do what one does best or finds most enjoyable: “I get paid to try cases and to do my thing on trial” (Bruce Cutler).



D.O.
abbr.

Doctor of Osteopathy


Main Entry: do
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: did; done; do·ing; does
transitive verb 1 : PERFORM, EXECUTE
2 : COMMIT verbal auxiliary —used with the infinitive without to to form present and past tenses in legal and parliamentary language —do business : to be engaged in business activities (as soliciting sales); specifically : to engage in activities sufficient to subject a foreign company to the personal jurisdiction of a state —see also DOING BUSINESS STATUTE



Main Entry: DO
Function: abbreviation
1 doctor of osteopathy
2 doctor of optometry



Main Entry: dissolved oxygen
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: the amount of oxygen dissolved in a body of water as an indication of the degree of health of the water and its ability to support a balanced aquatic ecosystem; also, the amount of free (not chemically combined) oxygen dissolved in water, wastewater, or other liquid, usually expressed in milligrams per liter, parts per million, or percent of saturation; abbr. DO



do

n 1: an uproarious party [syn: bash, brawl] 2: the syllable naming the first (tonic) note of any major scale in solmization [syn: doh, ut] 3: doctor's degree in osteopathy [syn: Doctor of Osteopathy, DO] v 1: engage in; "make love, not war"; "make an effort"; "do research"; "do nothing"; "make revolution" [syn: make] 2: carry out or perform an action; "John did the painting, the weeding, and he cleaned out the gutters"; "the skater executed a triple pirouette"; "she did a little dance" [syn: perform, execute] 3: get (something) done; "I did my job" [syn: perform] 4: proceed or get along; "How is she doing in her new job?"; "How are you making out in graduate school?"; "He's come a long way" [syn: fare, make out, come, get along] 5: give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally; "cause a commotion"; "make a stir"; "cause an accident" [syn: cause, make] 6: carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions; "practice law" [syn: practice, practise, exercise] 7: be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity; "A few words would answer"; "This car suits my purpose well"; "Will $100 do?"; "A 'B' grade doesn't suffice to get me into medical school"; "Nothing else will serve" [syn: suffice, answer, serve] 8: create or design, often in a certain way; "Do my room in blue"; "I did this piece in wood to express my love for the forest" [syn: make] [ant: unmake] 9: behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; "You should act like an adult"; "Don't behave like a fool"; "What makes her do this way?"; "The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people" [syn: act, behave] 10: spend time in prison or in a labor camp; "He did six years for embezzlement" [syn: serve] 11: carry on or manage; "We could do with a little more help around here" [syn: manage] 12: arrange attractively; "dress my hair for the wedding" [syn: dress, arrange, set, coif, coiffe, coiffure] 13: travel or traverse (a distance); "This car does 150 miles per hour"; "We did 6 miles on our hike every day"


do


1. repeat loop.

2. The country code for Dominican Republic.

(1999-06-10)


Sheesh!

An OD of DO, no less.

Welcome to EF, S&S!

MrP