Meanings
plural champagne taps
- figurativelyinformalmedicineA bloodless sample of cerebrospinal fluid from a lumbar puncture (colloquially, a spinal tap).
She told me earlier that she was looking forward to performing it and hoped for a “champagne tap”.
2010, Tilda Shalof, A Nurse's Story, McClelland & Stewart, →ISBN, page 93 more examples
When the needle finally perforated the sac around the spinal column, clear fluid bubbled back through the hub. The resident congratulated me on a “champagne tap”, free of blood. We sent the fluid off to the laboratory.
year unknown, Sandeep Jauhar, The Intern:Doctor's Initiation, Penguin Books India, page 39While I can't vouch for the efficacy of this trick, anything that stacks the deck in favor of a “champagne tap” is worth a shot.
2008, Emergency MedicineIf no vessels are hit, you may obtain a ‘champagne tap’; if this clear-coloured CSF is obtained on your first ever attempt, then custom dictates that your senior should buy you a bottle of champagne to celebrate!
2014, Anna Donald, Mike Stein, Ciaran Scott Hill, Selina Chavda, The Hands-on Guide to the Foundation Programme, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 184
Origin
An indication of atraumaticity in the proceduralist's technique, warranting the reward of a bottle of champagne from their superior, the colour of which also matches that of the cerebrospinal fluid sample.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
champagne tap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/champagne%20tap
“champagne tap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/champagne%20tap. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “champagne tap,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/champagne%20tap.
Source: champagne tap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.