Texas Crud

“The crud” is military slang for a real or imaginary disease, first recorded in the publication American Speech in 1932. Many people in Texas often get “the crud”—defined as flu-like symptoms or allergies or other ailments.
 
Texas is home to many military bases and it is not surprising that the military slang word “crud” became localized as “Texas crud.” The Historical Dictionary of American Slang states that “modern U.S. use of crud appears to be a back formation from CRUDDY.” “Texas crud” looks similar to the term “Texas crude” (as pointed out in one citation below); this similarity might have helped to popularize the “Texas crud” term.
   
     
(Oxford English Dictionary) 
crud
A real or imaginary disease. slang (orig. U.S. Army).
1945 Reader’s Digest Apr. 109 We also have what the men call ‘crud’, a skin outbreak like ringworm.
1945 Time 13 Aug. 76 Jungle rot; New Guinea crud; the creeping crud: GI names for any and every kind of skin disease.
1947 Amer. Speech XXII. 304/2 Crud (the), this word..is used more commonly than any other single Army or Navy term for imaginary disease.
1948 Ibid. XXIII. 295/1 In the Pacific theater, crud was colloquial for all kinds of diseases, though it was most often used for the various forms of fungus infection.
1966 F. SHAW et al. Lern yerself Scouse 56, I got Bombay crud, I am suffering from looseness of the bowels. 
 
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From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Veronica22)
Date: 1998/12/16
Subject: Re: Book About Maternity Homes
 
Of course Patty, post when you feel better.  I have had a couple bouts with “Texas crud” this year—so I sympathize with you!
     
16 April 2000, Victoria (TX) Advocate, “Even the ‘crud’ can’t slow him down” by pat Green, pg. 10D:
Pat Green is not feeling well. In fact, he is suffering from a bad case of “Texas Crud’’ as we call it here. 
 
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From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (RCLOVELY)
Date: 2000/07/11
Subject: Re: Privacy in Medieval Times
   
>It’s a term my father used for various flu-like afflictions.
>he claimed he’d picked up the term
>in the military.
 
I come from a Air Force family and we had various kinds of “cruds”,  the flue-like illness that was going around all winter.  There is the North Dakota Crud, the Oklahoma Crud, the Delaware Crud, the Texas Crud, the Washington Crud etc.  It is even international.
 
4 November 2001, Victoria (TX) Advocate, pg. 10D:
“I have the flu and I feel terrible,’’ said Ozzy Osbourne. (...) However, due to Ozzy’s bout with what we call the “Texas crud,’’ our interview was moments away from not happening at all.
     
The Pacer, Angelina College, Lufkin, TX (November 19, 2002)
East Texans battle onslaught of common cold
By Chris Edwards
Entertainment Editor
 
East Texas has been invaded again by threatening mucus invaders from the deepest reaches of outer space!
 
Yes, it is true, folks. The infamous “East Texas Crud” is back with a vengeance.
 
Referred to as simply “the crud” by most native East Texans, it is a super-charged version of the common cold, seemingly native only to the area.
 
Early signs that one might be down with the sickness are several.
 
One sign is the classic sore throat, which does not seem to be that bad at first, but then it gets progressively worse.
 
Another symptom is either a runny or congestive nose. Other possible symptoms include hoarseness, coughing, runny nose and swollen glands.
 
During the cold and flu season, persons can prevent finding themselves with a sore throat, sniffling and barely able to voice a complaint about “the crud” in many ways.
 
One thing that a person can do is drink plenty of liquids.
 
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From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Janet Wilder)
Date: 16 Feb 2003 23:54:30 GMT
Local: Sun, Feb 16 2003 7:54 pm
Subject: Re: 240 Volt appliances
 
We were sick with what they call “Texas Crud” and I hadn’t done wash in 2 weeks. 
   
Fueled by Popcorn
Friday, November 09, 2007
Allergies
(...)
As a kid I was often sick. I had what my mom called “Texas Crud” the green and yellow snot collecting in that troth below your nose and above your lip.
     
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Sat Feb 2, 2008 7:28 am
Re: [copinglist] Where is everyone? - Jen
 
Bobbie,
 
I like ‘Texas Crud’. Let’s see, ‘Portland Muck’ to resemble ‘mud’ of which we see so much, since ‘crud’ resembles ‘crude’ of which Texas has so much…
 
Okay, I need more of a a life 😊
 
Lynn
 
—- Bobbie Beers

wrote:
> Jen,
>
> At the time you asked this question, I was deep in
> the throes of the
> Texas Crud! It’s not a cold, sinus, or flu, but it
> can do you in just
> like they do. 
 
The Post-Searchlight (Bainbridge, GA)
Wind that blows through South Dakota ends in Texas
By: DR. DON R. ROBINSON
03/04/2008
(...)
Those allergies, or the Texas Crud, as it was nicknamed, are commonly experienced by most who visit. My theory is that those winds that blow down through the Plains carry everything they pick up along the way to Texas and dump it there.
     
Grand Stream Dreams
Claus gets infected
Sunday, March 16, 2008
(...)
This “Texas-Crud” as we call it in our home, seems to hang around for about two weeks before finally clearing all the way out, so I think I have one more week of lightening symptoms to plow through.