the jitters

the jitters

A temporary state of nervous anxiety or anticipation. Marty: "Are you ready to deliver your speech?" Anthony: "Yeah. I've got the jitters real bad, though!" I have a song that I hum to myself to help get rid of the jitters before big competitions.
See also: jitter
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

the jitters

(ˈdʒɪdɚz)
n. the nervous shakes. I get the jitters when I have to talk in public.
See also: jitter
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • case of the jitters
  • jitter
  • get the jitters
  • get/have the jitters
  • live on (one's) nerves
  • live on your nerves
  • on tenterhooks
  • tenterhook
  • keep (one) on tenterhooks
  • keep on tenterhooks
References in periodicals archive
Despite all the jitters, Alley was grateful to the show's cast and crew for giving her a warm welcome.
The Jitters staff consists of 18 employees, who vary from full-time to part-time depending on the season and school schedules.
In the past year they've gotten the jitters over the possibility of more terrorist attacks; more hurricanes; the situations in foreign countries such as Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Bolivia and so on; the arrival of winter, the arrival of summer; and have had several unexplained cases of the jitters.
Whether you're a middle of the packer, a front liner, or a newcomer, anyone who pins on a number at the starting line develops a few tricks to beat the jitters and to give it your best.
Whatever race ritual you develop, the purpose is to provide habits that you can rely on to get you through the jitters, and to keep you from forgetting important pre-race routines.
The jitters result mainly from oscillations of Hubble's electricity-providing solar panels.
The jitters, however, interfere primarily with Hubble's ability to track guide stars -- extraterrestrial "signposts" that help orient the telescope for observations.