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Sudden hesitation, loss of nerve, or reluctance to proceed with a major commitment.
"The groom got cold feet the morning of the ceremony but was reassured by his brother."
"Investors got cold feet after seeing the company’s quarterly loss."
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Grounds psychological states or physical commitment in human bodily anatomy ('feet').
Popularized in Stephen Crane’s 1895 Civil War novel "The Red Badge of Courage", signifying troops becoming too frightened or frozen to advance.
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