Set 11 · Study 1 / 5

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have butterflies in your stomach

idiom/ˈbʌɾɚflaɪz ɪn jʊr ˈstʌmək/

to feel anxious

Even though she has been a public speaker for almost eight years, Sarah had butterflies in her stomach before she gave her speech today.

word origin — From the 1900s — describes the fluttering sensation of nerves felt in the abdomen before stressful events.