noun
crud
An unspecified minor illness.
I stay home when I catch the crud going around.
Etymology
The illness slang extends a general word for unpleasant or worthless matter. It gives a deliberately vague, dismissive name to feeling mildly unwell.
More examples
- Some kind of crud kept her in bed all weekend.
- I'm finally getting over this crud.
- Half the office is out with the crud.
Forms
crud
Similar words
- bug
- Usually suggests a short-lived infection rather than illness generally.
- ailment
- Names a health problem without the same informal tone.