Saturday night palsy

noun

Paralysis due to radial nerve compression in the arm, resulting from direct pressure against a firm object.

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Meanings

nounSaturday night palsy (uncountable)
  1. informaluncountablemedicineParalysis due to radial nerve compression in the arm, resulting from direct pressure against a firm object.

Origin

Introduced mistakenly as a simplification of saturnine palsy, a complication of lead poisoning which has a similar presentation. Folk etymology associates it with carousing and intoxication on Saturday nights, which causes the individual to fall asleep in unnatural positions, such as on a chair or bed with one arm hanging over the edge.

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Cite this entry
APA

Saturday night palsy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Saturday%20night%20palsy

MLA

“Saturday night palsy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Saturday%20night%20palsy. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Saturday night palsy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Saturday%20night%20palsy.

Source: Saturday night palsy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.