case of the dropsy



Like this video? Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day!

case of the dropsy

A fictitious "condition" characterized by continually dropping things from one's hands. It is a play on the term "dropsy," which was formerly used to denote the condition now known as edema (or oedema). I've broken four or five plates since I started work. I guess I've got a bad case of the dropsy today.
See also: case, of

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
CillaSIL-lah (Swedish), SI-lah (Dutch)Swedish, Dutch
Basile-French
Agnieszkaahg-NYESH-kahPolish
Hand[hænd]
EnsioEN-see-oFinnish
Marcelline-French