jitterbug

English

Etymology

From jitter +‎ bug, after the 1934 Cab Calloway song Jitter Bug.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɪtə(ɹ)bʌɡ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

jitterbug (plural jitterbugs)

1. (colloquial) A nervous or jittery person.
2. (jazz) A jazz musician or aficionado.
3. (dance) An uptempo jazz or swing dance which embellishes on the two-step pattern and frequently incorporates acrobatic style swing steps.
4. Synonym of diddley bow (“type of stringed instrument”)

Synonyms

• (jazz musician): jazzbo, jazzman, jazzperson
• (nervous or jittery person): bundle of nerves, nervous wreck, worrywart; see also Thesaurus:worrier

Descendants

(dance):

• Japanese: ジルバ (jiruba)
  • Chinese: 吉魯巴／吉鲁巴 (jílǔbā)

Verb

jitterbug (third-person singular simple present jitterbugs, present participle jitterbugging, simple past and past participle jitterbugged)

1. To dance the jitterbug.