nervous Nellie
noun Informal.
a constantly nervous, worried, or timid person.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of nervous Nellie
First recorded in 1925–30
Words nearby nervous Nellie
nervous bladder, nervous breakdown, nervous exhaustion, nervous indigestion, nervous lobe, nervous Nellie, nervous system, nervous wreck, nervule, nervuration, nervure
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Idioms and Phrases with nervous Nellie
nervous Nellie
An unduly timid or anxious person, as in He's a real nervous Nellie, calling the doctor about every little symptom. This term does not allude to a particular person named Nellie; rather, the name was probably chosen for the sake of alliteration. [Colloquial; c. 1920]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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