iron lung

plural iron lungs

1. A pneumonic device for assisted breathing.

   To a polio victim who can no longer breathe for himself nothing is more disheartening than the thought of spending every hour of his life flat on his back in an iron lung.

   1953 October 19, “A Better Break for Polio Patients”, in LIFE, Time Inc, page 127

   1 more example

   "Polio was a really good experience for me, in a lot of ways," said Jessup, who was paralyzed for weeks by the virus. "For a really hyperactive kid, it brought me to an abrupt halt. I was isolated at home since I didn't need to be in an iron lung, when they weren't sure how it spread. We always say I discovered my brains."

   2018, Katherine Reynolds Lewis, The Good News About Bad Behavior: Why Kids Are Less Disciplined Than Ever — And What to Do About It, page 93

   Synonyms: negative pressure ventilator

2. CockneyslangA bung; a bribe.

   Most criminal cases, when I was practising, were paid for by SLAB, which kept a vice-like grip on the purse strings, paying a pittance no self-respecting plumber would get out of bed for, so an iron lung (bung) was the order of the day when dealing with the professionals of the underworld.

   2023, James J. McIntyre, Jimmy Two Guns: The Life and Crimes of a Gangland Lawyer