jitterbug

English

Etymology

jitter +‎ bug, after the 1934 Cab Calloway song Jitter Bug.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɪtə(ɹ)bʌɡ/
Audio (Southern England) (file)

Noun

jitterbug (plural jitterbugs)

(colloquial) A nervous or jittery person.
(jazz) A jazz musician or aficionado.
(dance) An uptempo jazz or swing dance which embellishes on the two-step pattern and frequently incorporates acrobatic style swing steps.
Synonym of diddley bow (“type of stringed instrument”)

Synonyms

(jazz musician): jazzbo, jazzman, jazzperson
(nervous or jittery person): bundle of nerves, nervous wreck, worrywart; see also Thesaurus:worrier

Verb

jitterbug (third-person singular simple present jitterbugs, present participle jitterbugging, simple past and past participle jitterbugged)

To dance the jitterbug.