nervous Nellie
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
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
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.
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
- Nelly
- scare
- (as) nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
- nervous
- rocking
- chair
- a basket case
- basket case
- stand in awe (of someone or something)