swivet

American  

[swiv-it] / ˈswɪv ɪt /

noun

1. a state of nervous excitement, haste, or anxiety; flutter.

   I was in such a swivet that I could hardly speak.

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swivet British  

/ ˈswɪvɪt /

noun

1. informal a state of anxiety, confusion, or excitement

   don't get yourself in a swivet

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Etymology

Origin of swivet

First recorded in 1890–95; origin obscure

Example Sentences

It’s the part about stories and themes that has sent some observers into a swivet of snowflake-batting outrage.

From Washington Post

Here we meet them in full, majestic swivet.

From New York Times

Today was a Vocab test and I drew a complete blank on the word swivet.

From Literature

Here in the valley of my mid-50s, I try not to get into a swivet over my occasionally faulty memory: Sometimes the mind has a mind of its own.

From New York Times

He lies on the floor among half-written pages “in a catatonic swivet.”

From New York Times