CS Knowledge Base

Probably originally a code used in some hospitals; some hospitals today still use code brown to one or another kind of environmental or hazardous-material emergency.

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code brown (plural code browns)

1. (humorous) The situation of a person defecting in an undesirable location (e.g. hospital bed or retail store), requiring cleanup.

   Coordinate term: code yellow

   • 2005 September 9, Bruce Michaud, “Dog-day misery in Aisle 16”, in North of Tampa, St. Petersburg Times, page 2:

     I hear the store speaker call for a cleanup crew: "Code brown on Aisle 2 with a possible runaway cart track to 16."

• colour code
• code blue
• code red