heebie-jeebies

[ hee-bee-jee-beez ]
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noun(used with a plural verb)Slang.
  1. 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

1
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; rhyming compound coined by W. De Beck (1890–1942), American comic-strip cartoonist

Words Nearby heebie-jeebies

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British Dictionary definitions for heebie-jeebies

heebie-jeebies

/ (ˈhiːbɪˈdʒiːbɪz) /


pl n
  1. the heebie-jeebies slang apprehension and nervousness

Origin of heebie-jeebies

1
C20: 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