heebie-jeebies

[ hee-bee-jee-beez ]
/ ˈhi biˈdʒi biz /

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

Words nearby heebie-jeebies

Example sentences from the Web for heebie-jeebies

British Dictionary definitions for heebie-jeebies

heebie-jeebies
/ (ˈhiːbɪˈdʒiːbɪz) /

pl n

the heebie-jeebies slang apprehension and nervousness

Word Origin for heebie-jeebies

C20: coined by W. De Beck (1890–1942), American cartoonist