nervous Nellie

noun

, Informal.

1. a constantly nervous, worried, or timid person.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nervous Nellie¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

An 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]

Example Sentences

Stephanie, the president’s Nervous Nellie secretary, undergoes a personality change after dipping into Bernadette’s bag of pills.

From Los Angeles Times

“Our entire staff is safe and although the restaurant sustained incredible damage the structure of the building is intact,” the ownership of Nervous Nellie’s, a seafood restaurant on the beach, said in a statement.

From Seattle Times

“Don’t be such a nervous Nellie. I simply told him that you had never been to a picture show and that with everyone arriving tomorrow you wouldn’t have a chance for a good long bit. And isn’t that simply a tragedy?”

From Literature

One of the people least surprised to see Aldrich’s demeanor was his best friend from college, Utah State Coach Ryan Odom, who calls him “a nervous Nellie.”

From Washington Post

Finally, for a moment, the nervous Nellie replaced anxiety with happiness.

From Washington Post