A timid or cautious person; a worrier: a nervous Nellie a bit like Jeanne Dixon
[late 1930s+; perhaps fr Nervous Nellie, the nickname of Frank B Kellogg, secretary of state 1925–29, who negotiated the Kellogg-Briand differences]
Idioms and Phrases with nervous Nellie
nervous Nellie
An unduly timid or anxious person, as in He's a real nervous Nellie, calling the doctor about every little symptom. This term does not allude to a particular person named Nellie; rather, the name was probably chosen for the sake of alliteration. [ ; c. 1920 ]