# "Doctor", not "the doctor" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2020, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427 "2020-10-20T18:37:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/21 "2020-10-21T19:38:46Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m going to hospital (to be admitted as a patient) This is a Briticism not generally heard in the U.S. They also talk about being “in hospital” where we would say “in the hospital.” (A _hospital_?!? What is it?) ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/22 "2020-10-21T19:45:09Z")
It’s a big building with doctors in it, but that’s not important right now. Anyway, my kids did the same thing with their soccer coaches – “Coach said we have to do x.” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/23 "2020-10-21T20:39:41Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > If you were a patron in the dining room, sure. > > If you were a cook in the kitchen, no. The only place I’ve ever heard this is on TV shows. I’ve never known anyone to do this in real life with any profession. It always makes the chef seem horribly arrogant, which fits the shows I’ve seen it on. As for the OP, though, I do know offices that call their main doctor Doc, but that’s a common colloquial name for the doctor. To change it to Doctor seems horribly pretentious and make me question if I wanted to use that doctor, as I would be looking for signs the doctor is arrogant. Normal doctors would either be called Doc or their name, rather than insist on a title. Obviously, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/24 "2020-10-21T20:50:10Z")
Surely you must be joking. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/25 "2020-10-21T20:56:55Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The only place I’ve ever heard this is on TV shows. I’ve never known anyone to do this in real life with any profession. I don’t know what experience you have outside of watching TV, but I spent almost 2 decades in food service, most of it upscale. I always referred to the Chef as “Chef”, as did my co-workers. During my brief stint _as_ a Chef, people referred to me as “Chef”. In culinary school, we always referred to the instructors as “Chef”. If there were more than one Chef, then it was Chef Smith and Chef Jones. Sometimes it was a bit more informal, and it was Chef Dave and Chef John. I have never referred to a Chef that I worked for as “The Chef.” That just sounds weird. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/26 "2020-10-21T21:04:56Z")
Are you talking about “referred to” or “addressed as” ? There’s a difference and I think it might be getting confused in this thread. It is totally normal in many situations to _address_ people by their job titles- for example, " Good morning ( officer, professor, chef, doctor, judge, captain, chief, commissioner ) . What’s not so common is to _refer_ to them to other people by their job titles _alone_. If I worked for a judge, and was telling another employee to make a copy, I wouldn’t say " Judge needs a copy of this" or “Make judge a copy” . It would be either " The judge needs a copy of this" or " Make Judge Lastname a copy". ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/27 "2020-10-21T21:07:36Z")
If you are asking me, both. I would say, “Good morning, Chef.” And I would also say, “What did Chef come up with for the feature tonight?” In culinary school, I might say, “How long did Chef Jones tell us to cook this for?” If there is more than one Chef instructor. ---
**Author:** ![a6ka97](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/28 "2020-10-21T23:07:08Z")
Now that you mention it I have noticed the same thing… Doctor vs. The Doctor … will be in shortly. My guess its the staff is so used to calling Doctor Joe Smith “Doctor Joe Smith” and not “The Doctor Joe Smith” that when they speak of him in general conversation it is plain Doctor because saying “Doctor Smith” is redundant as he is the only doctor in the conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/29 "2020-10-21T23:07:08Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > This is a Briticism not generally heard in the U.S. They also talk about being “in hospital” where we would say “in the hospital.” (A _hospital_ ?!? What is it?) Indeed, all of the cases I listed (and more) work like that: In school, in hospital, in prison, in church. It’s also possible to say ‘in _ **the** _ [institution place]’, but that typically conveys a different reason for being there (i.e. going there, but not specifically to enjoy the services of that institution). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/30 "2020-10-21T23:20:37Z")
Thinking about this some more, isn’t it simply true that medical professionals have a general tendency toward being concise and precise? For example referring to ‘the operating theatre’ as just ‘theatre’ or ‘the radiology department’ as just ‘radiology’ ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/31 "2020-10-22T01:33:36Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Indeed, all of the cases I listed (and more) work like that: In school, in hospital, in prison, in church. My point is that I have never heard an American say “in hospital.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/32 "2020-10-22T08:19:52Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > My point is that I have never heard an American say “in hospital.” Sure, but I bet I can think of some other contexts where it’s seems completely normal to drop the definite article. How about: at the end of the day, do you ‘go to bed’, or ‘go to _the_ bed’ ? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/33 "2020-10-22T10:44:04Z")
I don’t think that’s quite the same. There are a couple of definitions of “go to bed” , but neither of them necessarily involves an actual bed.I don’t think there’s a meaning for “in hospital” that might not involve a hospital. But you’re right, the definite article does get dropped in American English - we say “in prison” ,"in school, “in church” etc. But I’m not sure if they are always used in exactly the same way they are used across the pond - for example, “in school” or “in college” in the US might refer to being enrolled, rather than physically at a particular place. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/34 "2020-10-22T10:49:51Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > But I’m not sure if they are always used in exactly the same way they are used across the pond - for example, “in school” or “in college” in the US might refer to being enrolled, rather than physically at a particular place. There’s probably some slop around the edges of the usage, but that sounds similar to the UK English usage - a human child can be ‘in school’ as a pupil; but if a dog runs into the place, it’s ‘in _the_ school’. If a parent attends an evening meeting about standards, they go to _the_ school. It’s definitely related to services/functions performed by the institution; if you’re encarcerated, you’re ‘in prison’; if you’re visiting someone who is there, you’re ‘in _the_ prison’ And that’s why it feels like this could be a related thing to what the OP describes; ‘Doctor’ is a function in addition to being a title for a person who performs that function. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/35 "2020-10-22T11:08:45Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > The support staff refers to the doctor as “doctor” rather than “the doctor” No, you got it right in the title. The support staff refers to the doctor as “Doctor” rather than “the doctor” Proper Nouns are capitalized. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/36 "2020-10-22T11:34:19Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Sure, but I bet I can think of some other contexts where it’s seems completely normal to drop the definite article. I’m not arguing that. Just that one phrase. Brits say “in hospital” but Americans do not. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/37 "2020-10-22T14:55:55Z")
OK, not disputing that ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/38 "2020-10-22T15:08:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > As a generic American IME usage like “Let’s ask Doctor” (no “the”) is pretty random. Some offices do it, others don’t. But it does seem any given office is pretty consistent; the whole staff uses the same style. > > I don’t much care for it. > > I don’t see it as archaic; rather the opposite: I think I hear it more now than I did, e.g., 30 years ago. I agree. I hear it at my dentist’s office but not my GP’s office. The dentist’s office is staffed with older white women, the GP’s office is younger black women. Could be a difference there. Pretty sure my gyno’s office uses the doctor or nurse’s first name (ie Julie will see you now). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/39 "2020-10-22T16:40:09Z")
My daughter is the receptionist for a physician. She always refers to him as “Doctor X” and so does the nurse. However, she works in a large medical building and has heard staffs in other office refer to their physicians as “Doctor X,” “Doctor,” and “the Doctor.” It doesn’t seem to matter if there are multiple doctors, unless one has to be identified by name. In other words, it’s pretty random. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427/40 "2020-10-23T01:02:52Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > As for the OP, though, I do know offices that call their main doctor Doc, but that’s a common colloquial name for the doctor. To change it to Doctor seems horribly pretentious and make me question if I wanted to use that doctor, as I would be looking for signs the doctor is arrogant. Normal doctors would either be called Doc or their name, rather than insist on a title. I see that you don’t have much experience with doctors. Arrogance is a normal state of being for doctors. (Not all are arrogant, but most are, at least to some degree.) There’s an old joke– Q. What’s the difference between God and a doctor? A. God doesn’t think that He’s a doctor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-not-the-doctor/923427.md?page=3)