willies

English

Etymology

The meaning "spell of nervousness", recorded since 1896, stems perhaps from the woollies, a dialectal term for "nervous uneasiness", probably in reference to the physical itchiness of wool garments.

Noun

willies

1. plural of willy
2. (colloquial, with "the") A feeling of nervousness or fear.

   Staying in the haunted house gave me the willies.

   • 1974, Joseph Heller, Something happened, page 3:

     I get the willies when I see closed doors. Even at work, where I am doing so well now, the sight of a closed door is sometimes enough to make me dread that something horrible is happening behind it, something that is going to affect me adversely.

Synonyms

• (anxiety): creeps, heebie-jeebies, collywobbles
• (anxiety): see Thesaurus:fear

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “willies”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.