Nelly
nervous Nellie
Someone who is more timid, nervous, or anxious than is normal or reasonable. My mother's always a bit of a nervous Nellie around the grandkids, so she doesn't like to look after them. I'm too much of a nervous Nellie to ever do something like sky diving.
See also: Nellie, nervous
not on your nelly
An expression of one's refusal to do something. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. A: "Will you go out to the barn and clean up after the horses?" B: "Not on your nelly!"
See also: nelly, not, on
Whoa, Nellie!
1. cliché Said to any person, thing, or animal (especially a horse) that one is trying to get under control or coax into slowing down. "Whoa, Nellie!" he shouted as the bucking bronco tossed him to and fro. A: "Whoa, Nellie! Just cool your jets, big guy!" B: "Get off of me! I didn't do anything wrong!"
2. An exclamation of surprise or astonishment, especially when something is more intense than one expected. Whoa, Nellie. Now that is one strong drink you fixed me! A: "Whoa, Nellie. I think I need to sit down for a minute!" B: "A bit of a tougher hike than you were expecting, huh?"
Whoa, Nelly!
An exclamation of surprise. The phrase is generally thought to have originated as a command to slow down a horse (wherein "Nelly" is the horse's name). They're engaged already? Whoa, Nelly! Whoa, Nelly—what is going on in here?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
Whoa, Nellie!
Rur. Wait! Stop! Tom: When I get that money, I'm gonna get me my own place, and then you and I can get married, and—Jane: Whoa, Nellie! When did I say I was going to marry you? Whoa, Nellie! Did you measure them boards before you started cuttin' 'em?
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
nervous Nellie
An unduly timid or anxious person, as in He's a real nervous Nellie, calling the doctor about every little symptom. This term does not allude to a particular person named Nellie; rather, the name was probably chosen for the sake of alliteration. [Colloquial; c. 1920]
See also: Nellie, nervous
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
not on your nelly
BRITISH, INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONEDYou can say not on your nelly to mean that there is no chance at all of something happening. Note: `Nelly' is sometimes spelled `nellie'. Will I be attending the ceremony? Not on your nelly! Note: This expression may come from cockney rhyming slang. `Not on your Nellie Duff' stands for `not on your puff', which also means `definitely not'.
See also: nelly, not, on
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
not on your nelly
certainly not.This expression, modelled on the phrase not on your life , originated as not on your Nelly Duff , which is British rhyming slang for ‘puff’, meaning ‘breath of life’.
See also: nelly, not, on
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
not on your ˈnelly
(old-fashioned, British English, informal) definitely not: You want to borrow my new car? Not on your nelly! Nelly was short for Nelly Duff, which was rhyming slang for puff, an informal word for your life.See also: nelly, not, on
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
nervous Nellie
n. any nervous person, male or female. Sue is such a nervous Nellie. She should calm down.
See also: Nellie, nervous
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
nervous Nellie
A person who worries unduly or is foolishly fearful. The term apparently originated in the late 1920s and referred to Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg, who served from 1925 to 1929. It soon was picked up and used for any individual, male or female, who showed such qualities. Richard Dyer used it in a review of Acis and Galatea, writing: “The direction presented him [Acis] as a kind of nervous Nellie, unable to decide which shirt to wear to impress Galatea” (Boston Globe, Nov. 23, 2004). See also worry wart.
See also: Nellie, nervous
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- Nellie
- nervous Nellie
- scare
- rocking
- nervous
- (as) nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
- chair
- a basket case
- basket case
- stand in awe (of someone or something)