nervous Nellie
noun Informal.
a constantly nervous, worried, or timid person.
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Origin of nervous Nellie
First recorded in 1925–30
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
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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