antsy

English

WOTD – 2 April 2010

Etymology

From ants +‎ -y, as in ants in one's pants. First noted as a rural Southern USA figure of speech in the early 20th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæn.tsi/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adjective

antsy (comparative antsier, superlative antsiest)

1. (slang) restless, apprehensive and fidgety
   • 1990, John Updike, Rabbit at Rest:

     The children were antsy and worried […]

Related terms

• ants in one's pants
• have ants in one's pants
• shpilkes

Translations

restless, apprehensive and fidgety

• Armenian: անհանգիստ (hy) (anhangist)
• Dutch: ongerust (nl), opgewonden (nl), rusteloos (nl)
• Estonian: rahutu, ärevil
• Finnish: levoton (fi)
• French: agité (fr), inquiet (fr)
• German: nervös (de), zappelig (de), kribbelig, hibbelig (de)
• Hungarian: nyugtalan (hu), be van sózva
• Italian: nervosetto m
• Portuguese: inquieto (pt)
• Russian: беспоко́йный (ru) (bespokójnyj)

See also

• toey

Anagrams

• -nasty, Ansty, Nasty, Santy, Tansy, Yants, nasty, tansy

Malagasy

Noun

antsy

1. knife

Derived terms

• antsibe (“cleaver; axe; hatchet; billhook”)
• antsiben' Andriamanitra (“rainbow”)
• antsifotsy (“sword”)
• antsipika (“pocket knife; penknife”)