APAD: Give me the willies

Definition

   to cause a feeling of unease, discomfort, or fear

 

Examples

   1) The horror movie I watched last night really gave me the willies.

   2) Entering the abandoned house alone gave her the willies.

 

Etymology

   The term likely originated in the early 20th century, with "willies" possibly

   derived from "willy," meaning a fit of nervousness or panic.

 

Synonyms

   creep me out, make my skin crawl

 

- englishdaily626.com [edited]

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Chinese ghost stories, as one uncle used to tell, gave me the willies when I was

a young kid. They almost always started with a peasant, sometimes driving a

one-horse cart, homebound on a lonely moonlit dirt road passing a grave yard,

where something would happen. We were told the season, the rough location of the

incident, the hero's family, the horse's size, etc. Nothing was spared to set up

the scene. The story-teller, however, firmly refused to finish the tale: it was

late and he had to go to work and we'd pick it up the next evening. I remembered

hanging on the cliff into the small hours in bed.