Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

collywobbles

/ˈkɑliˌwɑb(ə)lz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.06 in modern English

Syllables: col-ly-wob-bles
IPA: /ˈkɑliˌwɑb(ə)lz/

24

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A stomach ache or an upset stomach.

British usage; Humorous; Informal

noun

Anxiety, fear, uneasiness.

British usage; Humorous; Informal

Example Sentences

"Petunia’s off school today with a touch of the collywobbles."
"Collywobbles, the gripes."
"I know I have something else to say to you, but unfortunately I awoke this morning with collywobbles, and had to take a small dose of laudanum with the usual consequences of dry throat, intoxicated legs, partial madness and total imbecility; and for the life of me I cannot remember what it is."
""I deeply regret," answered Liza, "but my royal 'ighness 'as got the collywobbles.""
"The prefect was there again and it was his voice that was saying that he was to get up, that Father Minister had said he was to get up and dress and go to the infirmary. And while he was dressing himself as quickly as he could the prefect said: / ― We must pack off to Brother Michael because we have the collywobbles!"
""D'ye hear, Richard? Now's your chance," repeated Ned, not to be done. "There's a pot o' money in it. A very different thing this, I can tell you, from running round dosing people for the collywobbles. I know men who are raising the splosh to get in, any way they can.""

Etymology

Probably from colic (“severe pains that grip the abdomen”) + wobble (“unsteady motion”). Alternatively, it has been suggested that the word derives from colly (“coal dust”) (in the sense of someone becoming ill from breathing in such dust), or that it is a corruption of cholera.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɑliˌwɑb(ə)lz/
British English: /ˈkɒlɪwɒb(ə)lz/

Usage

Inflected Forms

the collywobbles (canonical, plural)

Derived Forms

collywobbled

Synonyms

bellyache mulligrubs tummyache butterflies butterflies in one’s stomach creeps heebie-jeebies willies

Questions

How do you pronounce collywobbles?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɑliˌwɑb(ə)lz/.
What does collywobbles mean?: A stomach ache or an upset stomach.
Where does collywobbles come from?: Probably from colic (“severe pains that grip the abdomen”) + wobble (“unsteady motion”). Alternatively, it has been suggested that the word derives from colly (“coal dust”) (in the sense of someone becoming ill from breathing in such dust), or that it is a corruption of cholera.

How to pronounce collywobbles

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