Wednesday's Random Slang-o-rama: Heebie-jeebies

I'm on a roll, so we'll continue with our spooky slang-o-rama explorations for October. If this time of year gives you the heebie-jeebies, that is, leaves you with a feeling of anxiety, apprehension or illness, well....

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... I am here to help you out. At least, etymologically speaking.

The Phrase Finder has a nice entry on the term, noting:

The sound of this term seems to hark back to earlier rhyming phrases, like hocus-pocus and mumbo-jumbo, with a touch of the jitters thrown in. The meaning is more like the British term - the screaming habdabs.

Heebie and jeebie don't mean anything as independent words and heebie jeebies was coined at a time and place when there was a spate of new nonsense rhyming pairs, called rhyming reduplications, - the bee's knees, etc., that is, 1920s USA.

The term is widely attributed to William Morgan "Billy" de Beck. The first citation of it in print is certainly in a 1923 cartoon of his, in the 26th October edition of the New York American: "You dumb ox - why don't you get that stupid look offa your pan - you gimme the heeby jeebys!"

World Wide Words also credits de Beck with its creation, citing the same 1923 appearance. The Word Detective agrees. Dictionary.com dates it even earlier: 1905–10... but I can't find any use from that timeframe (at least through Google's ngram). I did find it in a 1911 book—The Story of Carol by Edmondstoune Duncan (what a name, right? Perfect for a fictional character!). You can view the passage here.

I'd love to find an earlier appearance of this term, so if anyone spots one, let me know!

Feeling anxious? Got the heebie-jeebies? If so, you've got lots of company!

The Scream By Edvard Munch