clutch up

clutch (up)

in. to become very tense and anxious; to freeze with anxiety. I have been known to clutch up before a race.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Irena	ee-RE-nah (Polish), ee-RAY-nah (Dutch)	Polish, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Dutch, Lithuanian
Aristotle	AR-ə-stah-təl (English), ER-ə-stah-təl (English)	Ancient Greek (Anglicized)
Sesto	-	Italian
Pat	PAT	English
NikŠA	-	Croatian
Neacel	-	Scottish