willies
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willies¹
Where it comes from
The meaning "spell of nervousness", recorded since 1896, stems perhaps from the woollies, a dialectal term for "nervous uneasiness", probably in reference to the physical itchiness of wool garments. Or it might be a play on words relating to the ballet Giselle, performed in Paris in 1846, where the stage is flooded by the Wilis, who are the spooky, ephemeral, beautiful but evil ghosts of virgins who died before their wedding day. Watching the Wilis in Giselle is meant to give you the willies. Most English speakers pronounce 'Wilis' as 'willies'.
noun
- plural of willy
noun the willies
-
A feeling of nervousness or fear.
Staying in the haunted house gave me the willies.
Similar: creeps, heebie-jeebies, collywobbles, fear
Willies²
proper noun
- plural of Willy
Talk about this word "willies." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/willies. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. willies. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/willies "willies." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/willies.Cite this
@misc{willies_2026,
title = {willies},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/willies},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
