Got a case of the strangles?

While researching the etymology of "distemper" (don't ask), I came across a related ailment -- "the strangles" (also known as "colt distemper") -- an "infectious febrile disease of horses" marked by inflammation and congestion of mucous membranes and swelling and suppuration of the lymph nodes of the jaw and neck. Next time I'm too flu-ridden to go into work, I'll now be tempted to wheeze into the phone, "can't come in, got a case of the strangles." Not to be confused with "bastard strangles" (I'm not making this up), defined as "atypical strangles in which abscess formation occurs elsewhere than in the lymph glands of the neck." Now that's gotta hurt.