collywobbles

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collywobbles

/ˈkɒlɪwɒb(ə)lz/ UK
/ˈkɑliˌwɑb(ə)lz/ US

Where it comes from

Probably from colic (“severe pains that grip the abdomen”) + wobble (“unsteady motion”). Alternatively, it has been suggested that the word derives from colly (“coal dust”) (in the sense of someone becoming ill from breathing in such dust), or that it is a corruption of cholera.

noun the collywobbles

UK, humorous, informal, plural, plural only A stomach ache or an upset stomach. Petunia’s off school today with a touch of the collywobbles.
Similar: bellyache, mulligrubs, tummyache
UK, broadly, humorous, informal, plural, plural only Anxiety, fear, uneasiness. I don’t like walking through the forest at night. It gives me the collywobbles.
Similar: butterflies, butterflies in one’s stomach, creeps, heebie-jeebies, willies

Translations

Every language

noun (informal, chiefly humorous) anxiety, fear, uneasiness

Русский	мандра́ж mandráž

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Cite this

MLA

"collywobbles." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/collywobbles. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

collywobbles. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/collywobbles

Chicago

"collywobbles." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/collywobbles.

BibTeX

@misc{collywobbles_2026,
  title = {collywobbles},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/collywobbles},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}