GC: n
S: CDC – http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/antibiotic-use/uri/colds.html (last access: 27 November 2014); ND – http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/colds.htm (last access: 27 November 2014); DORLAND p. 383.
N: 1. cold (n): c.1300, “coldness,” from cold (adj). Sense in common cold is 1530s, from symptoms resembling those of exposure to cold; compare earlier senses “indisposition caused by exposure to cold” (early 14c.); “discomfort caused by cold” (c.1300).
2. Cold symptoms usually begin with a sore throat, which usually goes away after a day or two. Nasal symptoms, runny nose, and congestion follow, along with a cough by the fourth and fifth days. Fever is uncommon in adults, but a slight fever is possible. Children are more likely to have a fever with a cold.
With cold symptoms, the nose teems with watery nasal secretions for the first few days. Later, these become thicker and darker. Dark mucus is natural and does not usually mean you have developed a bacterial infection, such as a sinus infection.
Several hundred different viruses may cause your cold symptoms.
3. Common cold, acute viral infection that starts in the upper respiratory tract, sometimes spreads to the lower respiratory structures, and may cause secondary infections in the eyes or middle ears. More than 200 agents can cause symptoms of the common cold, including parainfluenza, influenza, respiratory syncytial viruses, and reoviruses. Rhinoviruses, however, are the most frequent cause, and some 100 different strains of rhinoviruses have been associated with coldlike illness in humans.
4. Collocations (as common illness):
- Adj.: bad, heavy, nasty | slight | common | chest, head.
- Verb + cold: have, nurse, suffer from | catch, go down with, take.
5. Cultural Interrelation: We can mention “to catch a cold” (to get sick). In Cymbeline (1610?) one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays. Iachimo says to Posthumus Leonatus: “We will have these things set down by lawful counsel, and straight away for Britain, lest the bargain should catch cold and starve …” (Act 1, Scene 4). In other words, if the deal takes too long, it will fall apart. Shakespeare created the idea of “cold” causing illness for the first time.
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=common+cold&searchmode=none (last access: 27 November 2014). 2. WebMD – http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/flu-cold-symptoms (last access: 27 November 2014). 3. EncBrit – http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/128201/common-cold (last access: 27 November 2014). 4. http://oxforddictionary.so8848.com/search?word=cold (last access: 9 June 2015). 5. http://www.businessinsider.com/everyday-phrases-from-shakespeare-2013-9 (last access: 30 April 2016).
SYN: common cold
S: DORLAND p. 958; EncBrit – http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/128201/common-cold (last access: 27 Novembewr 2014).
