heebie-jeebies
[ hee-bee-jee-beez ]
noun(used with a plural verb)Slang.
Usually the heebie-jeebies . a condition of extreme nervousness caused by fear, worry, strain, etc.; the jitters; the willies: Just thinking about ghosts gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Origin of heebie-jeebies
1An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; rhyming compound coined by W. De Beck (1890–1942), American comic-strip cartoonist
Words Nearby heebie-jeebies
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use heebie-jeebies in a sentence
Whatever it is, the thing gave me the heebie-jeebies for a minute.
Dorothy Dixon and the Double Cousin | Dorothy WayneIf it takes all this detail to fly straight and level, I'll get the heebie-jeebies when it comes to acrobatics!
Dorothy Dixon Wins Her Wings | Dorothy Wayne
British Dictionary definitions for heebie-jeebies
heebie-jeebies
/ (ˈhiːbɪˈdʒiːbɪz) /
pl n
the heebie-jeebies slang apprehension and nervousness
Origin of heebie-jeebies
1C20: coined by W. De Beck (1890–1942), American cartoonist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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