con crud

See also: concrud

English

Alternative forms

• concrud

Etymology

From a shortening of conference or convention, and crud (“disease”), originally army and student slang for venereal disease (“sexually transmitted disease”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɒn kɹʌd/
• Rhymes: -ʌd

Noun

con crud (uncountable)

1. (fandom slang) An illness resulting from having people from a wide variety of places at a single gathering such as a convention, allowing disease to spread easily among them due to lack of immunity.
   • 1999 September 18, Kitchen, Allen, “A proposal for ALFers”, in alt.lifestyle.furry, Usenet^[1], message-ID <A6D29FFCD278DB9B.8E59F475769021D7.8D510A7C0C424992@lp.airnews.net>:

     Much has been said about those who go to furry and SciFi conventions and return with the "Con Crud."

   • 2002 September 19, Jones, Julia, “Re: US Dentristy and Optometry”, in rec.arts.sf.fandom, Usenet^[2], message-ID <BmkrtFJ+Zli9Ewvi@jajones.demon.co.uk>:

     The root canal will be done again as soon as I've recovered from my Worldcon dose of con crud.

   • 2003 September 22, diane, “Re: Gatecon report”, in alt.tv.stargate-sg1, Usenet^[3], message-ID <20030922013153387+0100@news.btinternet.com>:

     any con crud? lots of people seem to have gone down with something, some are still stranded in Vancouver too ill to fly home :-((

Synonyms

• blorch

Related terms

• freshers' flu (contracted at universities)