| 释义 |
nervous Nellie
nervous Nel·lie or nervous Nel·ly N0054600 (nĕl′ē)n. pl. nervous Nel·lies Informal An unduly timid or anxious person.nerv′ous Nel′lie (or Nel′ly) (ˈnɛl i)
n., pl. -lies. Informal. a timid or fearful person. [1925–30] Translationsnervous Nellie
nervous NellieSomeone who is more timid, nervous, or anxious than is normal or reasonable. My mother's always a bit of a nervous Nellie around the grandkids, so she doesn't like to look after them. I'm too much of a nervous Nellie to ever do something like sky diving.See also: Nellie, nervousnervous NellieAn unduly timid or anxious person, as in He's a real nervous Nellie, calling the doctor about every little symptom. This term does not allude to a particular person named Nellie; rather, the name was probably chosen for the sake of alliteration. [Colloquial; c. 1920] See also: Nellie, nervousnervous Nellie n. any nervous person, male or female. Sue is such a nervous Nellie. She should calm down. See also: Nellie, nervousnervous NellieA person who worries unduly or is foolishly fearful. The term apparently originated in the late 1920s and referred to Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg, who served from 1925 to 1929. It soon was picked up and used for any individual, male or female, who showed such qualities. Richard Dyer used it in a review of Acis and Galatea, writing: “The direction presented him [Acis] as a kind of nervous Nellie, unable to decide which shirt to wear to impress Galatea” (Boston Globe, Nov. 23, 2004). See also worry wart.See also: Nellie, nervousNervous Nellie
Nervous NellieAn unduly risk-averse investor. Nervous Nellies tend to invest in fixed-income securities. If they invest in stocks at all, they tend to sell at the first negative sign, resulting in a loss. |