The phrase “heebie-jeebies” is an informal English expression that means a feeling of nervousness, anxiety, unease, fear, or revulsion. People usually say they “get the heebie-jeebies” when something creeps them out or makes them uncomfortable.
Examples:
- “That abandoned house gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
- “Watching spiders crawl around gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
The phrase is often associated with:
- creepy or eerie situations,
- irrational nervousness,
- superstition,
- or mild paranoia/jitters.
Origin of the Term
The expression is widely credited to American cartoonist Billy DeBeck, who coined it around 1923 in his comic strip Barney Google. It became extremely popular during the 1920s in the United States.
At the time, it was used to describe:
- jitters,
- nervous tension,
- or a kind of psychological distress.
The phrase became so common that newspapers, musicians, and even medical commentators of the era referenced it.
Spelling
The standard spelling is:
- heebie-jeebies
Common misspellings include:
- “heebee jeebes”
- “heeby jeebies”
- “heebie geebies”
Related Expressions
Similar expressions include:
- “the creeps”
- “the jitters”
- “a bad feeling”
- “skin crawling”
- “spooked”
Today, the phrase is usually playful or humorous rather than clinical or serious.
