To have the jitters

Origin

Picture the Jazz Age, a time when life moved at a frantic, exhilarating pace. As people grappled with new pressures and excitements, a new word entered the American lexicon to capture that unmistakable feeling of pre-event anxiety: "jitters." This wasn't just a mental state; it was a physical one, too, evoking the nervous, involuntary twitching and trembling that grips you before a big moment. The sound of "jitters" itself seems to mimic that restless energy, as if your whole body is vibrating with unease. It's a word that perfectly encapsulates the restless energy and high-strung tension of modern life, becoming the definitive shorthand for that feeling of being on edge before an important event.