The distinctly British colloquial word for rheumatism — the aching, stiffness, and joint pain that older generations talked about with weary familiarity. It's the sort of word a grandfather uses while rubbing his knee, or a landlady mentions while climbing the stairs. Rheumatics carries a warm, informal register that 'rheumatism' lacks, suggesting a condition so familiar it barely needs its full name. It's heard less frequently among younger speakers but still crops up in everyday conversation, particularly among older Britons.
She blamed the cold snap for her rheumatics playing up something terrible all week.
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(British, colloquial) Rheumatism.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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