The Jitters

It's entirely possible that I'm the only one on the planet who didn't know how the dance known as the jitterbug got its name,if so you can stop reading here! The term sprang from swing dancers who danced without any control or knowledge of dance moves because typically they were drunk. The word was first used as slang in the early 20th century to describe alcoholics who suffered from the jitters or delirium tremors. The dance itself started about 1927 but the name was not popularized until 1934 when Cab Calloway recorded "Call of the Jitter Bug" which clearly showed the relationship between the word jitterbug and the consumption of alcohol. I had thought up until now it was named for all the jumping around like the dancers were bugs!