Example: I was once being examined by a Pakistani woman doctor who was new to me; I was being given a complete physical, and at one point she said to me, "Now I'm going to palpate your chest." I was not familiar with this term, and looked with puzzlement at the nurse in attendance. The nurse then said, "She's going to thump your chest."

Then the doctor said, "Oh, is 'palpate' a textbook word?" The nurse and I nodded our heads. The doctor clearly realized that textbook words were words from a high medical register, and didn't help communication with the patient.