jittery
Who taught: Ryan Calo, Bob and Jean
jittery and coffee (source: http://www.clipartof.com/)
How are you doing today? It’s rainy and gloomy in Pittsburgh but I am happy that it is not snowing and not that cold.
Do you know when it is really hard for me to forget a word or an expression?
It is when someone uses it and even explains it to me right after I get to know it. Two days ago, Sunday, I was in my church as usual. After the first service, I was talking to Bob and Jean. Bob, all of a sudden, realized that he needed a coffee and said to us, “I gotta get a coffee before it’s all gone.” And, Jean said, “Oh yeah.. You should get it. Otherwise, you will get jittery.”
At that moment, I could not believe my ears. “Did you just say ‘jittery’?”
I just got to know it on Friday while I was reading the New York Times.
The article was about startups’ I.P.O. Ryan Calo said, “When you have an I.P.O. you don’t want investors to be skeptical or jittery.” That was my first time to see the word, jittery. And, from the context, my feeling was that it means being anxious or concerned about any issue.
So, I said to Jean, “Jittery! That’s the word I just got to know. Doesn’t it mean being anxious?” To some degree, I was correct but not really. Jean said, “It does mean being anxious and nervous but it can be also used to describe a person whose body is physically shaking.” For example, it is possible for you to be jittery by taking any kind of medicine such as a cold pill. Then, this really means your body shakes. It does not mean that you are anxious or nervous.
What if my body shakes because I am scared or because I got a cold. Can I say I am jittery? It seems like many American people think of the word, jittery, in relation to drinking too much caffeine or the lack of caffeine. Am I right?
You’re right Terry. I wouldn’t use jittery for shaking due to fear or cold (shivering). Another expression that popped into my head is “shaking in my boots” which refers to shaking due to fear. It can also be used sarcastically, for example during trash talk. If someone brags about how tough their team is and how they’re going to beat you, you could say “ohhh, I’m shaking in my boots” to tell them that you’re not intimidated.
Hey Patty,
Good to see you again! As always, thank you so much for your helpful comment along with a new expression. Your example is so good that I can feel the expression really well.
안녕 하십니까 Terry? 저도 커피 안마시면 jitters납니다!
In the U.K. we can use “jittery” to mean “anxious/tense” about something.
For example: “You’re very jittery, is something wrong?”
But we also wouldn’t use it to mean “shaking because of the cold”. I think “jittery” is always a combination of something physical and mental.
Nice article, thanks!
Jon
저는 아주 잘 지내고 있습니다. 안녕하십니까 Jon? 저도 아침마다 커피 꼭 마십니다.
Thank you so much for your input! Now, I feel like I can use this expression properly.
Speaking of cold, take care and stay warm, Jon!
Thank you Terry! It is getting pretty cold here in England. 감기 조심하십시오!
Ha, interesting Terry, I learned a new word!!! 😀
Glad to see you here, Ivy! I am learning new expressions every day and it is fun! Hope you get to learn those with me. How’s it going over there?