"The Galloping Crud" is a term I grew up hearing, and it refers to those general not-too-serious cold-like or flu-like minor illnesses everyone got, especially in the winter. I grew up in northern Illinois, and as an adult I lived in Wisconsin. My father was from central Michigan, and he used the expression too, so I know it's in use in those places.
Now I live in Pittsburgh, and I have The Galloping Crud. Nobody I've talked to here has ever heard the term before, but they all *instantly* knew exactly what it meant.
What are some other expressions for it? And is it a regional term?
It doesn't gallop here, but in south central Alaska we get The Crud, sometimes modified by the name of the nearest town, e.g. The Homer Crud. In fact, I'm enjoying it right now. I don't know who brought the expression here, nor when; as far as I can remember it was here when we arrived thirty years ago. Basically the same usage that you cite: usually but not exclusively respiratory, not terrifically serious. Always a valid excuse for not attending some function, public or private. I don't believe that we used it in NY State, but my wife is not so sure.
Peter
Here in Nevada, I often hear the phrases "a case of the creeping crud" or "the creeping cruddies" for the same general illness.
Like tromboniator, I'm not sure where it originated, but it seems to be catchy.
Count a vote in Indiana for 'creeping crud'. As a source for further discussion, I have often heard the term 'con crud' used in conjunction with attending a convention. It seems to be a fairly common term for those self same symptoms but blame it on a cause as well.
I don't know if this is the same malady, as it's more suggestive of digestive disorders, but when I lived in Wisconsin we used the phrase "green apple quick step" to refer to whatever ailed you in that department. I had never heard the phrase "galloping crud," but it seems equally descriptive.