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

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

An attack of the collywobbles the following day is not uncommon.

From The Guardian • Apr. 5, 2013

Here's Iran, causing collywobbles wherever summits convene; here's Iraq, a profoundly unsettled state; and Nato's Afghanistan, a disaster without end.

From The Guardian • Jun. 13, 2010

"The idea of you having a heart-to-heart talk with Khrushchev gives us the collywobbles," cried the Laborite Daily Herald.

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