collywobbles

American  

[kol-ee-wob-uhlz] / ˈkɒl iˌwɒb əlz /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. intestinal cramps or other intestinal disturbances.

2. a feeling of fear, apprehension, or nervousness.

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collywobbles British  

/ ˈkɒlɪˌwɒbəlz /

plural noun

1. an upset stomach

2. acute diarrhoea

3. an intense feeling of nervousness

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Etymology

Origin of collywobbles

1815–25; coinage presumably based on colic, wobble; see -s ³

Explanation

If you have a case of the collywobbles, then chances are you should stay home and close to the bathroom. Collywobbles is severe gastroenteritis that may send your lunch on a rocky round trip through your digestive system. Many common illnesses have the look of a plural but the behavior of a singular (mumps, measles, hives) and collywobbles follows the pattern. The OED describes the origin of the word as a 'fantastic formation' of colic and wobble. That would be fantastic not in the "incredibly wonderful" sense but in the "based on fantasy" sense.

Example Sentences

Eva Perón throws her husband’s mistress out on the streets, and Madonna’s wavering vocal goes full collywobbles.

From The Guardian • Aug. 16, 2018

There may be little to give you the collywobbles, but there’s quite a lot to enjoy, with Ms. Morton heading the list.

From New York Times • Apr. 9, 2015

Manager and players alike claim they are unaffected by promotion collywobbles, but there was a nervousness among the home crowd that seemed to be matched on the pitch.

From The Guardian • Mar. 12, 2013

That's what Jackie Gleason calls his latest picture and that's what it basically is: sweet enough for the kids, plain enough for the grown folks�something the whole family can swallow without collywobbles.

From Time Magazine Archive

Without missing a beat, Logan hollers, “I’m feeling kinda collywobbles, sir. I gotta hurl!”

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper