Etymology

collywobbles

col·ly·wob·bles
C3O1L1L1Y4W4O1B3B3L1E1S1

Today it means: A stomach ache or an upset stomach. Full definition →

First used 1823
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The story

Probably from colic (“severe pains that grip the abdomen”) + wobble (“unsteady motion”). Alternatively, it has been suggested that the word derives from colly (“coal dust”) (in the sense of someone becoming ill from breathing in such dust), or that it is a corruption of cholera.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1823 A stomach ache or an upset stomach.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.