Fantod

Word of the Day

Fantod is a noun that refers to an attack of nervousness.

The origin of our word of the day is unclear, but it entered English around the mid 19th century and was often used by Literary giants like Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to refer to a case of the nerves. A synonym of ‘the heebie-jeebies,’ our word of the day is also usually used in the plural. Here’s an example:

Public speaking has always been a big problem for me. Every time I give a speech, I get a severe case of the fantods. Sometimes I wonder why I chose a career as a lecturer when speaking in public gives me the heebie-jeebies.