What does collywobbles mean?
Collywobbles is an informal English noun describing either a mild stomach upset or, more commonly today, a sensation of nervousness or dread felt as fluttering in the belly. Speakers typically say they have, get, or suffer from 'the collywobbles' before exams, performances, medical procedures, or other anxiety-inducing events, though it can equally refer to ordinary indigestion or cramps. The word carries a playful, mildly old-fashioned tone that makes it a favourite of humorous writing; it would be out of place in formal or clinical contexts, where terms such as nausea or anxiety are preferred. Its origin is charmingly opaque: it emerged in early nineteenth-century British slang and is generally thought to be a fanciful alteration of 'colic', possibly blended with 'wobble'. Though whimsical in sound, it has persisted for two centuries and remains widely understood throughout the English-speaking world.
nounAn informal term for a stomach upset, cramps, or more commonly a feeling of nervousness or anxiety felt in the stomach.
- A feeling of nervousness, fear, or anxiety experienced as fluttering or queasiness in the stomach.
- A mild stomach ache, cramp, or digestive upset.
"She always gets the collywobbles before an important exam."
"He got a bad case of the collywobbles just before stepping onto the stage."
"The rich dessert gave her the collywobbles all evening."
The word exists essentially only in plural form, used with the definite article ('the collywobbles'); it functions as a singular mass noun despite its plural shape.
"Waiting for the test results gave her the collywobbles."
The collywobbles sounds like pure nonsense, but its first half almost certainly comes from 'colic' — making this silly-sounding word a distant cousin of serious medical terminology.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of collywobbles
Collywobbles first appeared in early nineteenth-century British slang, with attestations from around the 1820s. The most widely accepted account derives it from 'colic' (from Greek kolikos, relating to the colon) transformed through humorous distortion, possibly influenced by 'wobble'. It belongs to a family of playful English coinages for bodily complaints, and its exact formation remains uncertain, but the connection to colic is the standard etymological explanation.
How collywobbles is actually used
Informal and chiefly humorous in register; never appropriate in formal or medical writing. In modern usage the nervousness sense is far more common than the literal stomach-ache sense. The word is nearly always used in the plural form 'the collywobbles' and is well established in both British and American English.
Easily confused with collywobbles
Colic is severe, often spasmodic abdominal pain (especially in infants), while the collywobbles usually refers to milder stomach discomfort or nervous fluttering.
'Butterflies in one's stomach' refers only to nervous anticipation, whereas the collywobbles can mean either nerves or actual digestive upset.