Montezuma's revenge
Too much of something over the last few days. So, here I am, having a major dose of Montezuma's revenge!
But why Montezuma? Why not Trump's revenge? For not voting for him. Or Jesus' revenge, for not being a Christian. Or my parents revenge, for turning out to be a liberal when they were so conservative?
Or why not my ex's revenge?
Why Montezuma?
Answer:
Montezuma II (also spelled Moctezuma II) was Emperor of Mexico from 1502 to 1520 and was in power when the Spanish began their conquest of the Aztec Empire. The sickness, colloquially known as the 'squits/runs/trots' and more formally as 'Traveller's Diarrhoea', is usually caused by drinking the local water or eating food that visitors aren't accustomed to. It is a bacterial illness, always uncomfortable, and occasionally serious. Most cases are caused by the E. coli bacterium.
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/montezumas-revenge.html
But I didn't travel, especially to Mexico, so I am still confused, why have I heard THAT expression used for domestic Diarrhea?
Apparently it is still considered a "euphemism" for diarrhea:
https://urbanthesaurus.org/synonyms/diarrhea
Beats saying I got the runs, the trots, or the poopies. Of course, if I really wanted to be imaginative I could have used one of 69 other Euphemisms:
https://hellotushy.com/blogs/the-posterior/euphemisms-for-pooping
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