cold feet, get



cold feet, get

Also, have cold feet. Retreat from an undertaking; lose one's nerve. For example, I got cold feet when I learned the trip involves white-water rafting, or Don't count on including her-she's been known to have cold feet in the past. The origin of this term has been lost. In early 17th-century Italy it meant to be short of money, but that sense has never been used in English. [Late 1800s]
See also: cold, get

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
GertrudeGUR-trood (English), khər-TRUY-də (Dutch)English, Dutch
Ioane-Georgian (Archaic)
Reinhilde-German
Ede-Hungarian
Kore-Greek Mythology
Carina (1)kə-REEN-ə (English), kah-REE-nah (German)English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Late Roman