Where does 'catch a cold' come from?
Lest the bargain should catch cold and starve.(Iachimo, Act 1 Scene 4)
Shakespeare introduces the phrase 'to catch cold' in Cymbeline (1610). This was his 'comeback' play after theatres had been 'dark' (closed) for a long period due to a plague epidemic in London.
'Catch cold' is a euphemism here. Iachimo is thinking of something more serious than a blocked nose and a sore throat.