stage fever
- noun
:
nerviosismo escénico
- Many actors feel stage fever right before they step onto the stage, often causing their hearts to race.
Examples
-
To combat stage fever, he practiced deep breathing exercises before his big presentation.
-
But you shouId've seen me when I had stage fever.
-
She experienced stage fever moments before her first performance, filled with excitement and nerves.
Synonyms
70
6.6
A time of very strong excitement and busy activity
22
3.9
Nervousness before you perform or speak in front of people
Antonyms
How Nervous
394
2.7
22
3.9
- Informal
5
3.9
145
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines 'stage' (location of performance) with a metaphorical sense of 'fever' (intense arousal or agitation), so a learner can plausibly infer it refers to a strong feeling related to performing. However, 'fever' is a figurative use and could imply excitement or anxiety, and the specific sense of performance-related nervousness (rather than general excitement) is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Stage fever comes from the image of a 'fever', a hot, strong feeling, that hits a performer just before they step onto the stage. So, stage fever means 'feeling nervous or excited before a performance'.