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dither

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all of a dither

In a nervous, confused, or agitated state. We were all of a dither waiting to meet the president at our school rally. The economy is still all of a dither after news that the country's largest corporation has filed for bankruptcy.

See also: all, dither, of

in a dither

confused; nervous; bothered. Mary is sort of in a dither lately. Don't get yourself in a dither.

See also: dither

in a dither

Also, all of a dither; in a flutter or tizzy . In a state of tremulous agitation, as in Planning the wedding put her in a dither, or He tried to pull himself together, but he was all of a dither, or She showed up in such a flutter that our meeting was useless. The noun dither dates from the early 1800s and goes back to the Middle English verb didderen, "to tremble"; in a flutter dates from the mid-1700s; in a tizzy dates from about 1930 and is of uncertain origin.

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dither

(ˈdɪðɚ)

n. a state of confusion. (see also in a dither.) He can’t seem to get out of this dither he’s in.

in a dither

mod. confused; undecided. Don’t get yourself in a dither.

See also: dither