fever



buck fever

1. Nervous anticipation and excitement felt by a novice or inexperienced hunter when seeing game (not necessarily deer) for the first time. Primarily heard in US, South Africa. Calm down, son, and get that buck fever under control or you won't be able to hit the thing!
2. Any feelings of nervous anticipation and excitement felt before a new experience. Primarily heard in US, South Africa. I had a bit of buck fever before my first varsity football game.
See also: buck, fever

cabin fever

1. Acute anxiety, restlessness, irritability and/or depression from remaining for too long in an unstimulating and isolated or remote environment, either by oneself or with others (especially when in cramped conditions). We thought taking our family vacation in a tiny cottage out in the country would be a nice break from city life, but we all had pretty bad cabin fever after a few days.
2. Any feeling of boredom or restlessness from being in one place and/or by oneself for too long. I decided to stay home on Friday night, but after a few hours by myself, I started getting cabin fever.
See also: fever

spring fever

A feeling of often restless excitement or exuberance coinciding with the onset of warmer spring weather. It's hard enough keeping control of a class full of young children throughout the year, but it's particularly difficult once spring fever starts to spread. It's wonderful seeing the city touched by spring fever, coming alive again after the deadening winter.
See also: fever, spring

feed a cold, starve a fever

Antiquated advice that suggests that someone with a cold should eat, while someone with a fever should fast. Most health experts now agree that "starving" is not the right course for either malady. My grandmother always said "feed a cold, starve a fever," but it's best to stay properly nourished even when you have a high temperature.
See also: feed, fever, starve

Feed a cold and starve a fever.

Prov. You should feed someone who has a cold, and withhold food from someone who has a fever.; (or, interpreted differently) If you feed someone who has a cold, that will ward off a fever. Jill: I don't feel like going out to lunch with you. I have a cold. Jane: All the more reason you should get something to eat. Feed a cold and starve a fever, you know.
See also: and, cold, feed, fever, starve

run a fever and run a temperature

to have a body temperature higher than normal; to have a fever. I ran a fever when I had the flu. The baby is running a temperature and is grouchy.
See also: and, fever, run, temperature

run a fever

to have a high body temperature caused by an illness He developed a very bad ear infection and ran a fever for a couple of days.
See also: fever, run

fever pitch

if you say that a feeling or a situation has reached fever pitch, you mean that people's emotions have become so strong that they can only just control themselves By the time the princess appeared on the balcony, excitement among the crowd was at fever pitch. Tension reached fever pitch as reports came in of further bomb attacks in the north.
See also: fever, pitch

cabin fever

Distress or anxiety caused by prolonged confinement in a small or remote place, as in We've been snowed in for a week and everyone has cabin fever. Originating in the West, this term at first alluded to being penned up in a remote cabin during a long winter but has since been applied more broadly. [Late 1800s]
See also: fever

run a fever

Also, run a temperature. Suffer from a body temperature higher than normal, as in She was running a fever so I kept her home from school. These idioms use run in the sense of "cause to move," in this case upward. [Early 1900s]
See also: fever, run

barrel fever

1. n. drunkenness. She seems to get barrel fever about once a week.
2. n. a hangover. Man, have I ever got barrel fever.
3. n. the delirium tremens. The old man is down with barrel fever again.
See also: barrel, fever

blanket fever

A lumberjack expression for laziness, as if the woodsman had a medical reason for staying in bed instead of working.
See also: blanket, fever

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
BryceBRIESEnglish
Ulysse-French
Syeda-Urdu
Rupa-Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Nepali
Sava-Serbian, Bulgarian
Iovita-Ancient Roman