catch a packet

catch a packet
   1. to be killed or severely wounded
   Usually after being struck by something solid, like shrapnel. The common use from the First World War changed to mean getting into trouble until the Second World War, when the phrase reverted to its former meaning, and also came to embrace the ordeal of a town which was severely bombed or of a unit which was subjected to a heavy attack:
    The same thing's happening to the 2nd Northants, they've caught a packet too. (Price, 1978, of a badly mauled regiment)
   2. to contract venereal disease
   A common use among servicemen in the Second World War.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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