heebie-jeebies

pl.n. Slang
A feeling of uneasiness or nervousness; the jitters.

[Coined by William De Beck (1890-1942), American cartoonist, in his comic strip .]

(HEE-bee JEE-bee-z)

noun
Extreme nervousness; jitters, creeps.

Etymology
Coined by cartoonist Billy DeBeck (1890-1942) in his comic strip Barney Google. He also coined the term hotsy-totsy: wordsmith.org/words/hotsy-totsy.html.

Usage
"This year, for the first time, the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, will attend the official D-Day remembrance ceremonies along with the Allied heads of state. His inclusion is not without controversy. Some say it is too soon, even after decades of Franco-German economic ties and student exchanges, and even though it is US foreign policy which is giving the French the heebie-jeebies these days." — Janet Mcallister; D-Day 60 Years On; New Zealand Herald (Auckland); Apr 20, 2004.

"If this guy is giving you the heebie-jeebies, by all means, bring in the big guns (Read: parents)." — Paper Dolls; Unwanted Suitor's Love Letters, Calls Bother Teenager; The Daily News (Longview, Washington); May 3, 2004.

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noun

A state of nervous restlessness or agitation: fidget (often used in plural), jitter (used in plural), jump (used in plural), shiver¹ (used in plural), tremble (often used in plural). Informal all-overs, shake (used in plural). Slang jim-jams, willies. See calm/agitation, fear/courage.

Dansk (Danish)
n. pl. - nerver, myrekryb, delirium

Nederlands (Dutch)
de zenuwen, de kriebels

Français (French)
n. pl. - le trac, la frousse

Deutsch (German)
n. pl. - Zustand nervöser Depression, Angst

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. pl. - (ΗΠΑ, καθομ.) νευρικότητα, τρακ

Italiano (Italian)
estremo nervosismo

Português (Portuguese)
n. pl. - estado (m) de nervosismo

Русский (Russian)
крайнее возбуждение, глубокая депрессия, эксцентрический танец

Español (Spanish)
n. pl. - manojo de nervios

Svenska (Swedish)
n. pl. - stora skälvan

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
神经过敏, 紧张

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. pl. - 神經過敏, 緊張

한국어 (Korean)
n. pl. - 안달 복달, 초초하여 차분하지 못함

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - おびえ, 嫌悪感, 神経過敏

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الجمع) نوبه من العصبيه الشديدة, لفظه نحتها بيللي ديسك رسام الكاريكاتير الأمريكي المتوفي سنه 1942‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. pl. - ‮עצבנות‬

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