jimjams

[ jim-jamz ]
See synonyms for jimjams on Thesaurus.com
noun(used with a plural verb)Slang.
  1. extreme nervousness; jitters.

Origin of jimjams

1
1540–50; gradational compound based on jam1. Cf. flimflam, jingle-jangle, etc.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use jimjams in a sentence

  • “The combination is enough to give even a sober man the jim-jams,” agreed Kit.

    The Treasure Trail | Marah Ellis Ryan
  • No, seriously, I never remember being so interested in a case of jim-jams before.

    Lord Jim | Joseph Conrad
  • Madela had a feminine version of the jim-jams—tea-nerves, you know—so must get us both up.

    Semiramis and Other Plays | Olive Tilford Dargan
  • Why he told Parson Jennings that he'd rather treat a man for jim-jams than one that was dying for want of stimulants.

  • Old Wedder's voice sailed into my room as plainly as if he had the jim-jams.

    The Abandoned Farmer | Sydney Herman Preston

British Dictionary definitions for jimjams

jimjams

/ (ˈdʒɪmˌdʒæmz) /


pl n
  1. a slang word for delirium tremens

  2. a state of nervous tension, excitement, or anxiety

  1. informal pyjamas

Origin of jimjams

1
C19: whimsical formation based on jam 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012