catch one's death (of cold)
and take one's death (of cold)Fig. to contract a cold, a common respiratory infection; to catch a serious cold. If I go out in this weather, I'll catch my death of cold. Dress up warm or you'll take your death.
catch (one's) death
To catch a cold or other illness.
catch one's death (of a cold), to
To become infected with a cold. This hyperbolic phrase, often used as a warning (“Wear your hat or you’ll catch your death”), dates from the late 1800s.