nervous Nellie
noun Informal.
a constantly nervous, worried, or timid person.
Origin of nervous Nellie
First recorded in 1925–30
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]