heebie-jeebies
[hee-bee-jee-beez]
noun (used with a plural verb) Slang.
a condition of extreme nervousness caused by fear, worry, strain, etc.; the jitters; the willies (usually preceded by the): Just thinking about ghosts gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Origin of heebie-jeebies
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; rhyming compound coined by W. De Beck (1890–1942), American comic-strip cartoonist
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for heebie-jeebies
anxiety, jump, shiver, nerves, tremble, dither, fidget, tenseness, williesExamples from the Web for heebie-jeebies
Historical Examples of heebie-jeebies
Whatever it is, the thing gave me the heebie-jeebies for a minute.
Dorothy Dixon and the Double CousinDorothy Wayne
If it takes all this detail to fly straight and level, I'll get the heebie-jeebies when it comes to acrobatics!
Dorothy Dixon Wins Her WingsDorothy Wayne
heebie-jeebies
pl n
Word Origin for heebie-jeebies
C20: coined by W. De Beck (1890–1942), American cartoonist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper