Meanings
noun
- informalpreceded by definite articleCOVID-19.
If I've survived the past two years to get killed off by a spicy cough I'll not be best pleased.
2020 March 4, Sean (@MrSeanysean123), twitter, archived from the original on 04 Mar 20201 more example
A court deciding one of the largest divorce settlements in history has awarded Melinda Gates custody of 50% of the people who have taken the spicy cough jab.
2021 June 19, dech...@hotmail.com, “Re: Donald Trump's graceless departure revealed his true colours”, in aus.politics (Usenet)
Origin
spicy (meaning danger) + cough. First used in current sense c. March 2020.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
spicy cough. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spicy%20cough
MLA
“spicy cough.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spicy%20cough. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spicy cough,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spicy%20cough.
Source: spicy cough on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.