Meaning of champagne tap | Babel Free

Definitions

A bloodless sample of cerebrospinal fluid from a lumbar puncture (colloquially, a spinal tap).

figuratively, informal

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.”

“While 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.”

“She told me earlier that she was looking forward to performing it and hoped for a “champagne tap”.”

“If 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!”

CEFR level