Sweating bullets

October 21st, 2009 by admin

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Posted in columns, October 2009 | 6 comments

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  1. Sweating bullets « The Word Detective | Hyperhidrosis - How To Stop Sweating:

    October 28th, 2009 at 5:30 pm

    […] rest is here: Sweating bullets « The Word Detective Share and […]

  2. Yobgod Ababua:

    May 25th, 2010 at 8:47 pm

    I wonder if the phrase “sweating bullets” came about, not linguistically, but from the longstanding practice among cartoonists of illustrating the condition of anxiety by drawing bullet-like droplets radiating out from the character. This could have led to people referring to themselves (or others) as “sweating bullets” in reference to how they would presumably be drawn in comic form due to their state.

    As an example, see the following (from 1937):
    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Alley1937oop.jpg

  3. Mike:

    November 5th, 2012 at 11:01 pm

    Seems to me this refers not to sweating at all, but to being nervous, which is often associated with sweating. Sweating is a process that involves heating metal for binding or unbinding purposes. If one where heating a bullet for that purpose — “sweating” a bullet — one would be terribly nervous. So to say “he’s sweating bullets” is to say, quite simply, “he is nervous as a man applying heat to bullets, which could make them explode in his hands.”

  4. Andrew:

    May 31st, 2013 at 7:19 am

    Back in the 1800’s, ammunition for muskets was made by dropping molten lead off of a tower, called a “shot tower” . I just recently came to the conclusion that the expression “sweating bullets” was related to this, in that you are sweating so much that droplets are rolling off of you, and falling, as if you were a shot tower. I have no idea if this is correct, but it seems to make sense to me.

  5. Ramona Thompson:

    June 28th, 2014 at 9:32 pm

    I’ve been looking for “sweating bullets” for a long time. Would be interested in knowing
    documentation of the first known print use.

  6. David Thompson:

    September 20th, 2014 at 10:46 pm

    It means to be afraid! Ex. One person says to another they are being threatened by(I don’t sweat you!) However, Everyone is afraid of bullets. I’m not afraid of many things but I do sweat bullets!!!

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