jiffy tummy

noun

A nauseous or upset stomach or GI tract.

Meanings

nounjiffy tummy (plural jiffy tummies)

plural jiffy tummies

  1. colloquialA nauseous or upset stomach or GI tract.

    The day before she had gone down with a “jiffy tummy'", but even sickness was dispelled by Alex's legendary charm[.]

    1986, Nikolai Tolstoy, The Minister and the Massacres, Vintage
    5 more examples

    We all suffered there, and got our dose of what is known as 'jiffy tummy', which is acute diarrhoea. It's very unpleasant indeed, but it wears off after a few days and luckily I got over that before I had to go elsewhere.

    2004, Benjamin John Grob-Fitzgibbon, The Irish Experience During the Second World War: An Oral History

    Eating pork on the holiest day of the Jewish year came back to kick me (quite literally) in the ass, as I suffered just what my Dad had predicted: “A jiffy tummy.” Two days later I headed north to Minnesota, and the leaves had started[…]

    2012, Adam Goldstein, Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America, Potomac Books, Inc., →ISBN

    “Funny,” Toojay contributed, “the only thing I remember about that show was that you suffered from jiffy tummy all night from an excess of caramel popcorn.” “Oh yeah, that's right,” Winona giggled. “I threw up real good,[…]"

    (Can we date this quote?), Wilyem Clark, 7 Thunders, Wilyem Clark, page 78

    "All they'll get in Corfu is a jiffy tummy. Foreign food? You can keep it.” She pulled a face. “Still, live and let live, that's my motto.” Dylan very much doubted that.

    2016 April 11, Shirley Wells, Shirley Wells The Dylan Scott Mystery Series Collection 1: Presumed Dead\Dead Silent\Silent Witness\Dead Calm\Dying Art, Carina Press, →ISBN

    "Got a jiffy tummy. I just wanted to see what's going on and have a chat with the boys. I've been stuck inside for two days." "I think there's a bug going round," replied Andy. "We're bound to catch something from all the people we meet."

    2020 August 23, June Winton, The Mystery on the Miniature Railway, June Winton
Cite this entry
APA

jiffy tummy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jiffy%20tummy

MLA

“jiffy tummy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jiffy%20tummy. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jiffy tummy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jiffy%20tummy.

Source: jiffy tummy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.