the good doctors

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

the good doctors

1. (idiomatic) plural of the good doctor. An honorific for a group of doctors, especially for a group of doctors of medicine (physicians).
   • 1882, Inde (June 1882), "The letter “S”; or, The Jocelyn sin", chapters 5–8, Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly 13(6):705–718, page 708:

     “The good doctors tell us he is better of the wound,” resumed the mother.

   • 2012, Rupal Parekh (13 August 2012), Rewind: 1949 cigarette spot declares ‘Doctors smoke Camels’, Advertising Age (retrieved 2017-10-24; archived from the original 2017-07-01):

     According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, in reality, this “independent” surveying was conducted by R.J. Reynolds’ ad agency, the William Esty Co., who would send staff to query physicians about their smoking habits at medical conferences and in their offices. They’d ask about their cigarette brand of choice, most of the time, after just having provided the good doctors with free cartons of Camels.

   • 2013, Enrico Gnaulati (21 September 2013), "That’s not autism: It’s simply a brainy, introverted boy", Salon (retrieved 2017-10-23; archived from the original 2017-08-13):

     With all respect to the good doctors at the university-based institute who evaluated him, they were not up on the literature on mental giftedness.

Sometimes used ironically; for example, in reference to physicians who gave testimonials as to their favorite brand of cigarette after having received free cigarettes.