collywobbles

[ kol-ee-wob-uh lz ]
/ ˈkɒl iˌwɒb əlz /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR collywobbles ON THESAURUS.COM

noun (used with a singular or plural verb) Informal.

intestinal cramps or other intestinal disturbances.
a feeling of fear, apprehension, or nervousness.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
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Origin of collywobbles

1815–25; coinage presumably based on colic, wobble; see -s3

Words nearby collywobbles

collutory, colluvium, colly, collyr., collyrium, collywobbles, colmar, colo-, colo., coloboma, colobus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to collywobbles

heebie-jeebies

Example sentences from the Web for collywobbles

  • Let's get out of here; this place gives me the collywobbles.

    Native Son|T. D. Hamm

  • We took it out by staring Driggs almost into the collywobbles.

    At Good Old Siwash|George Fitch

British Dictionary definitions for collywobbles

collywobbles
/ (ˈkɒlɪˌwɒbəlz) /

pl n the collywobbles slang

an upset stomach
acute diarrhoea
an intense feeling of nervousness

Word Origin for collywobbles

C19: probably from New Latin cholera morbus the disease cholera, influenced through folk etymology by colic and wobble
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