I wonder, do we use “the willies” instead of just coming right out and saying something makes us queasy? Why would “the willies” be more acceptable than queasy? What does “the willies” mean exactly?
To find out, we do what every good old girl with an Internet connection does — we Google it!
Here’s what we found:
- a movie from IMDb:
- a definition from Dictionary.com;
- a record album from Answers.com;
- an opportunity to buy the record album from Amazon.com;
- an alternative, folk rock, indie band named The Willies from My Space (I listened to a few songs, not too shabby);
- a folk tale from the Brothers Grimm via aaronshep.com about, you guessed it, the willies; and
- of course, a definition from Wikipedia.
The definition from Wiki is about the record album so let’s take a peek at the def from Dictionary.com:
wil·lies
[wil-eez] Noun ( used with a plural verb ) Informal. nervousness or fright; jitters; creeps (usually preceded by the ): That horror movie gave me the willies.
Origin:
1895–1900, Americanism ; origin obscure; compare -s3
Well. I guess that pretty much sums it up!