To have the collywobbles means to suffer from an upset stomach (though the Oxford Dictionary describes it more specifically as pain or looseness in the bowels). It’s a colloquial term and was first recorded in 1841.
I
love the word collywobbles. It’s one I
used to hear quite often when I was young but nowadays it isn’t generally
considered sophisticated enough. I hope
it doesn’t die out completely.
Nice word for nasty condition... Somehow sounds related to mollycoddle!
ReplyDeleteYes, mollycoddle is another lovely sounding word. And again, it is one I haven't heard used ine everyday speech for a while.
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