cold feet, get

Idioms and Phrases

Also, have cold feet . Retreat from an undertaking; lose one's nerve. For example, I got cold feet when I learned the trip involves white-water rafting , or Don't count on including her—she's been known to have cold feet in the past . The origin of this term has been lost. In early 17th-century Italy it meant to be short of money, but that sense has never been used in English. [Late 1800s]

Related Words

• back down
• cancel
• give up
• renege
• surrender