afraid of one's own shadow

Very timid and fearful, as in Richard constantly worries about security; he's afraid of his own shadow. This hyperbole has been used in English since the early 1500s, and some writers believe it originated in ancient Greece.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Ilija	-	Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian
Jadzia	YAH-jah	Polish
Buchanan	[bju:'kænən]
Nataniel	nah-tah-NYEL (Spanish)	Spanish, Portuguese
Mariette	-	French
Saba	-	Georgian