Line from Barbershop I

Posted by Platypus on June 03, 2004

In Reply to: Line from Barbershop I posted by Bookworm on June 03, 2004

: In Barbershop I, a woman catches her boyfriend with another woman and is angry with him. She says something like "You're gonna have me catch a case before I go to work?" What does "catch a case" mean? It has been suggested that she was referring to having intercourse with her boyfriend and risking "catching a case" of whatever the girl had. Any ideas?

There are two meanings in black vernacular that could apply to this phrase. "catch a case" can refer to a case of the clap (gonorrhea), crabs, et al., as you suggest. Or, it also refers to her intent to assault,or murder(hyperbole), her boyfriend/his lover. Hence, "catch a case" would refer to catching a legal case, being under indictment. Both meanings are common in rap music.
"Catch a case" is also used by cops and lawyers to mean being assigned a case.