heebie jeebies

久しぶりにreduplicativeを取り上げます。


Rachel Rosenblum, a self-described germophobe, cringes when her young daughters touch the saliva-coated toys that belong to Mrs. Pickles, the San Francisco family's pug-Chihuahua mix, who runs freely between the house and backyard every day.

But her husband, Michael, an immunologist, firmly believes that exposing the girls - 9-month-old Fiona and 3-year-old Marion - to dirt, pet dander and germs is fine because it helps build up their immune systems.

Rachel Rosenblum says she's resigned to it.

"I'm so squeamish about it," said the 33-year-old mother and public relations manager for an eco-friendly cleaning products company. "I'm getting better, but when the dog comes up and licks the baby's face right after she's eaten, that just gives me the heebie-jeebies."
(The San Francisco Chronicle. December 24, 2013.)


ペットと生活する子供の免疫力は高い、という報告があるらしいですが、本当でしょうか？

多くの人がペットに媒介されるノミやダニを気にするのではないかと思います。

ましてや赤ちゃんのいるような家庭ではお母さんの悲鳴が聞こえてきそうです。

"heebie jeebies"を辞書で引くと、


jitters, creeps


と出てきます。虫酸が走るような気持ち悪さというわけです。

この表現は、漫画家のBilly DeBeck (1890-1942)による造語だということです。