blouses blanches

French

Etymology

Of blouses (“coats”) +‎ blanches (“white”), for the white lab coats often worn by medical workers.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bluz blɑ̃ʃ/

Noun

blouses blanches: a doctor (center) and two assistants

blouses blanches f pl (plural only)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see blouse,‎ blanc.
2. medical workers; doctors and nurses collectively
   • 2020 11 June, Hajera Mohammad, “À Saint-Denis, "blouses blanches et gilets jaunes, c'est le même combat !"”, in France Bleu‎^[1]:

     Dominique, gilet jaune de la première à Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), ne manque jamais les manifestations de soignants organisées dans sa ville, chaque mardi devant l’hôpital Delafontaine et chaque jeudi, devant l’hôpital Casanova, car pour lui, "blouses blanches, gilets jaunes, c’est le même combat !"

     Dominique, a yellow-vest protester from Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) never fails to attend demonstrations in this city, every Tuesday at the Delafontaine hospital and every Thursday at the Casanova hospital, because according to her “white coats, yellow vests, it's all the same fight!”

Related terms

• robe blanche (“white coat; lab coat”)