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collywobbles

[ kol-ee-wob-uh lz ]
/ ˈkɒl iˌwɒb əlz /
|
SEE MORE 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.

RELATED WORDS

heebie-jeebies

Nearby words

  1. collutory,
  2. colluvium,
  3. colly,
  4. collyr.,
  5. collyrium,
  6. colmar,
  7. colo-,
  8. colo.,
  9. coloboma,
  10. colobus

Origin of collywobbles

1815–25; coinage presumably based on colic, wobble; see -s3
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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

Word Origin and History for collywobbles

collywobbles

n.

1823, fanciful formation from colic and wobble.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper