Got the willies

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on September 20, 2009 at 07:35

In Reply to: Got the willies posted by Ricks Carson on September 20, 2009 at 06:20:

: got the willies. In the ballet Giselle, a peasant girl seeks to protect her lover from avenging spirits called the wilis. From German for ghosts.

Can you give any evidence for that? I'm doubtful, because (a) Wili (or Vilja, or Vila - it's Slavonic, not German: en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Slavic_fairies#Vilia) is pronounced with a v- sound, not a w- sound, and (b) because ballet has always been such a minority interest in English-speaking countries. The Collins Dictionary of Slang notes the English dialect word "willy-wambles" for a rumbling tummy, as a possible origin. (VSD)

• Got the willies Smokey Stover 20/September/09
  • Got the willies Sheila Collins 07/October/09