I don't know if anyone else uses this term, "Jelly" for nervousness? In high school some of my friends would say they were "jelly-legged", or had felt like they had eaten jelly (or something) and it had soured.
I have never felt 'jelly' when I am nervous.
Fear, on occasion, like when I was on the high dive, trying to get my courage up, and the (censored) coach threw me in. I screamed all the way down, took in water, and barely made it back to the edge of the pool. Then I wouldn't go on the high dive, and she just couldn't understand why. Can't to this day. Now that is jelly legs. I even look at a high dive and start to shake.
But nerves? No jelly. I can be as cool as a cucumber. (Well, except for the turning even whiter than my usually fair skin. I keep thinking if I get much whiter, I might just go invisible one of these days...) But I get a ROCK in my belly. Not butterflies, not jelly, but a solid mass, that feels like I ate a medicine ball.
I had an interview yesterday. It was in front of more than a dozen or so people, and I hate with a passion speaking in front of people. I dislike almost as much talking about myself. Blogging is fine, but speaking just about tears me up. (No, I don't do well in job interviews, without an extensive amount of practice in the days before... Something tells me I wouldn't do so well in sales.)
So, I had to do both. Thankfully, I didn't have to stand, or I might have probably thrown up... Gotta get rid of the medicine ball somehow...
And oh, joy, the ball was right there in my gut. I was dry mouthed, squeaked a couple times when I talked, and when I was challenged once, I nearly lost any thread of thought to respond. I did manage to, and might have even sounded coherent. I hope, anyway. And through it all, I didn't shake, no jelly.
Odd, the terms we use for slang, yes? I guess with slang, your mileage may vary...
