Was “Nervous Nellie” a Real Person?
Humans have long been fascinated by mythical figures such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and even Santa Claus. If you’re familiar with the phrase “nervous Nellie,” you may wonder if there’s truth to Nellie’s existence as well. Given there have been tens of thousands of Nellies throughout history, odds
are any number of them struggled with anxiety. But was there one particular Nellie who was so apprehensive that she served as inspiration for this now-common phrase? The short answer is yes and no: The phrase was coined for a specific person, but their name wasn’t Nellie. The term “nervous...
