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heebie-jeebies

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heebie-jeebies

  • /ˌhiː.biːˈdʒiː.biːz/

Where it comes from

Probably onomatopoeic.

The earliest found occurrences of spelling variants (it is not established whether the first one coined the term or committed to print an earlier oral expression):

* In 1923, the spelling "heeby jeebys" was used by U.S. cartoonist Billy De Beck in his comic strip Barney Google (New York American, 26 October 1923).

* In 1925, the spelling "heebee-jeebees" was used in U.S. magazine Ladies' Home Journal (Vol. 42, Part 2, p. 44).

* In 1926, the spelling "heebie jeebies" was used by U.S. singer Louis Armstrong for his single "Heebie Jeebies" (written by Boyd Atkins).

* In 1928, the spelling "heebee-geebees" was used in U.S. article "We All Have the Heebee-Geebees" by G. M. Keller of Swift & Company (Modern School Store, Vol. 11, p. 269 via Google Books).

* In 1956, the spelling "heeby jeebies" was used by U.S. singer Little Richard on the cover of his homonymous SP record (and the hyphenated spelling "heeby-jeebies" on its vinyl disc itself).

noun heebee-geebees · heebee geebees · heebeegeebees · heebygeebies · heebee-jeebees · heebee jeebees

  1. US, informal, plural, plural only A general feeling of anxiety, fear, uneasiness, or nausea. I don't mind worms, but spiders give me the heebie-jeebies.

    Similar: creeps, willies, collywobbles, fear

Translations

Every language

noun a general feeling of anxiety, fear, uneasiness, or nausea

Españolyuyu, canguelo
DeutschAngstzustände, Gänsehaut

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Cite this
MLA

"heebie-jeebies." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/heebie-jeebies. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

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

Chicago

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

BibTeX
@misc{heebie_jeebies_2026,
  title = {heebie-jeebies},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/heebie-jeebies},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}