Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A feeling of nervousness or anxiety causing one to reconsider a decision about an upcoming event.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal, plural, plural-only
Qualifier: frequently in the phrase 'get cold feet'
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cold, feet.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: plural, plural-only
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
timidity that prevents the continuation of a course of action
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: timidity, timidness, timorousness
History
Idiomatic sense possibly from a calque of German kalte Füße bekommen (“to get cold feet”), or of Lombard avegh minga frecc i pee (“to have no money”, literally “to be cold in the feet”) (Italian aver freddo ai piedi), said by a person who wishes to stop gambling, allegedly because the person now has cold feet due to being too poor to afford proper footwear.
