Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

machine that goes "ping"

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.72 in modern English

Syllables
ma-chine that -goes "ping"
IPA
33
Scrabble Score
19
Letters
3
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A piece of medical equipment, especially a bedside monitor; particularly one perceived as superfluous.

Humorous; Informal

Example Sentences

Etymology

Coined in the movie Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), in a sketch depicting a group of doctors at a birth more interested in the technological equipment than the mother and baby. The eponymous machine serves no apparent purpose except making an occasional ping sound.

Usage

Inflected Forms

machines that go "ping" (plural)

Questions

What does machine that goes "ping" mean?
A piece of medical equipment, especially a bedside monitor; particularly one perceived as superfluous.
Where does machine that goes "ping" come from?
Coined in the movie Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983), in a sketch depicting a group of doctors at a birth more interested in the technological equipment than the mother and baby. The eponymous machine serves no apparent purpose except making an occasional ping sound.

How to pronounce machine that goes "ping"

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “machine that goes "ping"”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “machine that goes "ping"” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.