Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Heebie jeebies

A feeling of anxiety, apprehension or illness. Harkens back to earlier rhyming phrases like hocus-pocus and mumbo jumbo. Coined by William Morgan Billy de Beck, "You dumb ox - why don't you get that stupid look offa your pan - you gimme the heebie jeebies", in a 1923 cartoon of his.

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