Jump to content

Cold feet: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Undid revision 861877109 by 68.194.4.40 (talk)
Added a physiological explanation of the phenomenon of "getting cold feet"
Line 13: Line 13:
==Origin and history==
==Origin and history==
The origin of the term itself has been largely attributed to American author [[Stephen Crane]], who added the phrase, in 1896, to the second edition of his short novel, ''[[Maggie: A Girl of the Streets]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barnhart|first=David K.|title=America in So Many Words: Words That Have Shaped America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYrJZLjgDmIC&pg=PA191&dq=%22cold+feet%22+%22stephen+crane%22&hl=en&ei=evbzS-26I8H48Abk0aG9Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFgQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=%22cold%20feet%22%20%22stephen%20crane%22&f=false|year=1997|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|location=Boston|page=191}}</ref><ref name="slate" /> Crane writes, "I knew this was the way it would be. They got cold feet." The term is present in "Seed Time and Harvest" by [[Fritz Reuter]] published in 1862.<ref name="slate">{{cite web|last=Engber|first=Daniel|title=When Did We Get "Cold Feet"? The Germans had 'em first!|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2005/05/when_did_we_get_cold_feet.html|accessdate=24 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="zoulas">{{cite web|last=Zoulas|first=Peter|title=Take Our Word For It, Issue 77|url=http://www.takeourword.com/Issue077.html|accessdate=24 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Reuter|first=Fritz|title=Seed-time and Harvest|url=http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=livn;cc=livn;rgn=full%20text;idno=livn0108-12;didno=livn0108-12;view=image;seq=737;node=livn0108-12%3A1;page=root;size=100|accessdate=24 December 2012}}</ref> Kenneth McKenzie, a former professor of Italian at [[Princeton University]] attributed the first use of the phrase to the play [[Volpone]] produced by [[Ben Jonson]] in 1605.<ref name="slate" /><ref name="zoulas" /> The true origin and first usage of the phrase remains debated and unconfirmed as exemplified above.
The origin of the term itself has been largely attributed to American author [[Stephen Crane]], who added the phrase, in 1896, to the second edition of his short novel, ''[[Maggie: A Girl of the Streets]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barnhart|first=David K.|title=America in So Many Words: Words That Have Shaped America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYrJZLjgDmIC&pg=PA191&dq=%22cold+feet%22+%22stephen+crane%22&hl=en&ei=evbzS-26I8H48Abk0aG9Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFgQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=%22cold%20feet%22%20%22stephen%20crane%22&f=false|year=1997|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|location=Boston|page=191}}</ref><ref name="slate" /> Crane writes, "I knew this was the way it would be. They got cold feet." The term is present in "Seed Time and Harvest" by [[Fritz Reuter]] published in 1862.<ref name="slate">{{cite web|last=Engber|first=Daniel|title=When Did We Get "Cold Feet"? The Germans had 'em first!|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2005/05/when_did_we_get_cold_feet.html|accessdate=24 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="zoulas">{{cite web|last=Zoulas|first=Peter|title=Take Our Word For It, Issue 77|url=http://www.takeourword.com/Issue077.html|accessdate=24 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Reuter|first=Fritz|title=Seed-time and Harvest|url=http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=livn;cc=livn;rgn=full%20text;idno=livn0108-12;didno=livn0108-12;view=image;seq=737;node=livn0108-12%3A1;page=root;size=100|accessdate=24 December 2012}}</ref> Kenneth McKenzie, a former professor of Italian at [[Princeton University]] attributed the first use of the phrase to the play [[Volpone]] produced by [[Ben Jonson]] in 1605.<ref name="slate" /><ref name="zoulas" /> The true origin and first usage of the phrase remains debated and unconfirmed as exemplified above.

Physiologically, the phenomenon of "getting cold feet" can be explained by the increased secretion of [[Adrenaline]] in fearful situations. Adrenaline stimulates the [[Alpha-1 adrenergic receptor]] in peripheral blood vessels, which causes them to constrict.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Graham Robert M.|last2=Perez Dianne M.|last3=Hwa John|last4=Piascik Michael T.|date=1996-05-01|title=α1-Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes|url=https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.RES.78.5.737|journal=Circulation Research|volume=78|issue=5|pages=737–749|doi=10.1161/01.RES.78.5.737}}</ref> The reduced bloodflow leads to a cooling of the acra (hands and feet).


==Common uses==
==Common uses==

Revision as of 19:37, 29 December 2018

For other uses, see Cold Feet (disambiguation).

Cold feet is a phrase which refers to a person not going through with an action, particularly one which requires long term commitment, due to fear, uncertainty, and doubt. A person is said to be "getting cold feet" when, after previously committing to a plan, they ultimately do not carry out the planned course of action.

Definitions (psychological)

  • Apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action.[1]
  • A loss or lack of courage or confidence; an onset of uncertainty or fear.[2]
  • To “have cold feet” is to be too fearful to undertake or complete an action.[3]
  • A wave of timidity or fearfulness.[4]
  • Loss or lack of courage or confidence.[5]
  • Timidity that prevents the continuation of a course of action.[6]

Origin and history

The origin of the term itself has been largely attributed to American author Stephen Crane, who added the phrase, in 1896, to the second edition of his short novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.[7][8] Crane writes, "I knew this was the way it would be. They got cold feet." The term is present in "Seed Time and Harvest" by Fritz Reuter published in 1862.[8][9][10] Kenneth McKenzie, a former professor of Italian at Princeton University attributed the first use of the phrase to the play Volpone produced by Ben Jonson in 1605.[8][9] The true origin and first usage of the phrase remains debated and unconfirmed as exemplified above.

Physiologically, the phenomenon of "getting cold feet" can be explained by the increased secretion of Adrenaline in fearful situations. Adrenaline stimulates the Alpha-1 adrenergic receptor in peripheral blood vessels, which causes them to constrict.[11] The reduced bloodflow leads to a cooling of the acra (hands and feet).

Common uses

Marriage

A common use of the phrase is when people fear the commitment of marriage and get "cold feet" before a wedding ceremony.[12][13] This pre-marital doubt or fear may manifest for a variety of reasons and sometimes cause the bride or groom to back out of a planned marriage.[13][14] Original research on the "cold feet" phenomenon is very limited, but a four-year study conducted by UCLA researchers found feelings of pre-marital doubt or uncertainty about an impending marriage were associated with future marital problems and a viable predictor of divorce.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ "Cold feet - Definition". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Cold feet". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Cold feet definition". The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  4. ^ Spears, Richard. "cold feet". Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions. McGraw Hill. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Cold feet". Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.
  6. ^ "Cold feet". Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  7. ^ Barnhart, David K. (1997). America in So Many Words: Words That Have Shaped America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 191.
  8. ^ a b c Engber, Daniel. "When Did We Get "Cold Feet"? The Germans had 'em first!". Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  9. ^ a b Zoulas, Peter. "Take Our Word For It, Issue 77". Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  10. ^ Reuter, Fritz. "Seed-time and Harvest". Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  11. ^ Graham Robert M.; Perez Dianne M.; Hwa John; Piascik Michael T. (1996-05-01). "α1-Adrenergic Receptor Subtypes". Circulation Research. 78 (5): 737–749. doi:10.1161/01.RES.78.5.737.
  12. ^ Tony Mathews (2003), There's More Than One Color in the Pew
  13. ^ a b Hutson, Matthew. "Brides and Grooms: Cold Feet". Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  14. ^ a b "Bride's "Cold feet" May Predict Divorce". Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  15. ^ Lavner, Justin; Benjamin Karney; Thomas Bradbury (2012). "Do Cold Feet Warn of Trouble Ahead? Premarital Uncertainty and Four-Year Marital Outcomes". Journal of Family Psychology. 26 (6): 1012–1017. doi:10.1037/a0029912. PMC 3525794.
Look up cold feet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Cold_feet&oldid=875898808"