What is "man flu"

n. (context British colloquial English) A cold or similar ailment as suffered by a male seen as wildly exaggerating the severity of his symptoms.

Man flu is a pejoratively used phrase that refers to the idea that men, when they have a cold, exaggerate and claim they have the flu. Whilst a commonly used phrase in the UK and Ireland, it is referred to in other cultures and there is a continuing discussion over the scientific basis for the phrase.