Heebie-jeebies (idiom)
Encyclopedia
Heebie-jeebies or heebie jeebies is an American English idiom
used to describe depression or anxiety. This can be as an after-effect of excessive alcohol
intake (see Delirium tremens
) or to describe a particular type of anxiety usually related to a certain person or place. For example, "He gives me the heebie jeebies", meaning "He makes me uncomfortably nervous". It can also refer to a particular form of intense apprehension, verging on horror, that is associated with opiate
withdrawal
.
The sound of this term seems to hark back to earlier rhyming phrases, like hocus-pocus
and mumbo-jumbo
, with a touch of the jitters thrown in. The meaning is more like the British term - the screaming habdabs.
Jeebie doesn't mean anything as an independent word but heebie is thought by some to be an anti-semitic term. Heebie jeebies was coined at a time and place when there was a spate of new nonsense rhyming pairs, called rhyming reduplication
s, - the bee's knees, etc., i.e. 1920s USA.
The term is widely attributed to Billy DeBeck. The first citation of it in print is certainly in a 1923 cartoon of his, in the 26th October edition of the New York American:
Heebie jeebies caught on quickly and very soon began appearing in many newspapers and works of literature in the USA and, from 1927 onward, the UK. For example, here's an entry from the Van Nuys News, 6 November 1923, just a few days after de Beck's cartoon was published:
The lack of any explanation in either of the above citations seems to imply that the term would have been known to the readership of both publications by the time of printing.
The speed of take-up of heebie jeebies, in a similar way to another coinage that is attributed to DeBeck - horsefeathers-- does suggest an origin in the media rather than street slang, which tends to spread more slowly.
The term became part of the language quickly enough for it to begin appearing in advertisements from 1924 onwards.
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
used to describe depression or anxiety. This can be as an after-effect of excessive alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
intake (see Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens is an acute episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol, first described in 1813...
) or to describe a particular type of anxiety usually related to a certain person or place. For example, "He gives me the heebie jeebies", meaning "He makes me uncomfortably nervous". It can also refer to a particular form of intense apprehension, verging on horror, that is associated with opiate
Opiate
In medicine, the term opiate describes any of the narcotic opioid alkaloids found as natural products in the opium poppy plant.-Overview:Opiates are so named because they are constituents or derivatives of constituents found in opium, which is processed from the latex sap of the opium poppy,...
withdrawal
Withdrawal
Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and alcohol...
.
The sound of this term seems to hark back to earlier rhyming phrases, like hocus-pocus
Hocus Pocus (magic)
Hocus Pocus or hocus-pocus is a generic term that may be derived from an ancient language and is presently used by magicians, usually the magic words spoken when bringing about some sort of change. It was once a common term for a magician, juggler, or other similar entertainer.The origins of the...
and mumbo-jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo (phrase)
Mumbo jumbo, or mumbo-jumbo, is an English phrase or expression that denotes a confusing or meaningless subject. It is often used as humorous expression of criticism of middle-management and civil service non-speak, and of belief in something considered non-existent by the speaker , or the rituals...
, with a touch of the jitters thrown in. The meaning is more like the British term - the screaming habdabs.
Jeebie doesn't mean anything as an independent word but heebie is thought by some to be an anti-semitic term. Heebie jeebies was coined at a time and place when there was a spate of new nonsense rhyming pairs, called rhyming reduplication
Reduplication
Reduplication in linguistics is a morphological process in which the root or stem of a word is repeated exactly or with a slight change....
s, - the bee's knees, etc., i.e. 1920s USA.
The term is widely attributed to Billy DeBeck. The first citation of it in print is certainly in a 1923 cartoon of his, in the 26th October edition of the New York American:
- You dumb ox - why don't you get that stupid look offa your pan - you gimme the heeby jeebys!
Heebie jeebies caught on quickly and very soon began appearing in many newspapers and works of literature in the USA and, from 1927 onward, the UK. For example, here's an entry from the Van Nuys News, 6 November 1923, just a few days after de Beck's cartoon was published:
- Bill Alton showed up poorly in center field. The boys seemed to have the heebie jeebies.
The lack of any explanation in either of the above citations seems to imply that the term would have been known to the readership of both publications by the time of printing.
The speed of take-up of heebie jeebies, in a similar way to another coinage that is attributed to DeBeck - horsefeathers-- does suggest an origin in the media rather than street slang, which tends to spread more slowly.
The term became part of the language quickly enough for it to begin appearing in advertisements from 1924 onwards.