to get the wind up
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To become thoroughly alarmed and, in consequence nervous, over- anxious, funky.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to get the wind up” mean?
To become thoroughly alarmed and, in consequence nervous, over- anxious, funky.
Is “to get the wind up” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.