conniptionn.
/kəˈnɪpʃən/ U.S. vulgar.
Hysteria, hysterical excitement; plural hysterics. Also in combinations, as conniption-fit.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > convulsive or paralytic disorders > [noun] > hysteria > fit of
suffocation (also rising, fit) of the mother1615
mother-fit1657
hysterics1664
hystericals1797
conniption1833
1833 S. Smith Life & Writings Major Jack Downing lxiii. 209 Ant Keziah fell down in a conniption fit.
1844 ‘J. Slick’ High Life N.Y. II. 171 By Golly! it was enough to drive any human critter into a conniption-fit!
1848 in Dict. Amer. Eng. Conniption, fainting-fit.
1859 Harper's Weekly 19 Nov. 747/1 She..went into a conniption at the sight of poor Snap.
1860 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 3) (at cited word) ‘George, if you keep coming home so late to dinner, I shall have a conniption.’
1872 E. Eggleston End of World xix. 130 It's only one of the old woman's conniption fits.
1888 Daily Times (Troy, N.Y.) 25 Aug. Here the bard is supposed to have gone into ‘conniptions’ and collapsed.
1889 N.Y. Tribune 31 Mar. 19/6 The first [ovation] was the silly conniption over Alvary.
1911 H. Quick Yellowstone Nights xi. 290 One of the lawyers..threw a conniption fit every block.
1948 Sat. Rev. 19 June 4/3 The idea sounded fine on paper and gave story editors of rival studios conniption fits, but did not work out in practice.
1963 M. McCarthy Group i. 14 Conny Storey's fiancé..was working as an office boy..and her family, instead of having conniptions, was taking it very calmly.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online September 2021).
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n.1833