jeebies



the heebie-jeebies

An extreme or acute sensation of fear, apprehension, worry, or anxiety. Often used with "get" or "give." I always get the heebie-jeebies when I walk through a graveyard. All these ghost stories are giving me the heebie-jeebies.

give somebody the heebie-jeebies

  (informal)
to make someone feel anxious or frightened Walking across the park after dark gives me the heebie-jeebies.
See also: give

heebie-jeebies

and heeby-jeebies (ˈhibiˈdʒibiz)
n. an extreme case of anxiety or fear. I have the heebie-jeebies whenever I go to the dentist.

heeby-jeebies

verb

heebie-jeebies

Anxiety or fear. Records indicate that “heebie-Jeebies” first appeared in print in a 1923 newspaper cartoon by one Billy DeBeck, in which a character says, “You dumb ox—why don't you get that stupid look offa your pan—you gimme the heeby jeebys!” The spelling changed over the years, as witnessed by its inclusion a year later in the “Alabamy Bound” popularized by the Paul Whitman Orchestra: “I'm Alabamy bound, there'll be no heebie-jeebies hanging 'round . . .”

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Steenie-Scottish
KajetÁN-Czech, Slovak, Hungarian
Alexusə-LEK-səsEnglish (Modern)
Naheed-Persian
Neha-Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Telugu
Nuria-Spanish