catching a cold
Contracting a virus
Catching a cold means becoming infected with a cold virus, typically through exposure to someone already sick.
The phrase treats illness as something that can be grabbed or intercepted: I think I'm catching a cold.
Despite the name, cold weather doesn't cause colds—though the association persists in folk wisdom and the phrase itself.
- sneezeExplosive nasal reflex
- headacheCranial pain
- coughExplosive airway clearing
- noseOlfactory facial organ
- runny noseNasal discharge symptom
rhinovirus · chills · fever · sore throat · fatigue · feeling lousy · sore · under the weather · chicken soup · hot tea · tissue · rest · congestion · nasal spray · immune system · contagious · symptoms · virus
catching a coldhealing
Restoration of health
recovering · bouncing back · recuperating · getting better · convalescing
catch, catches, caught, catcher, catchers, catching, catchable, cold, colds