In the cycling sense, "nervous" refers to a vicious spiral in which the entire peloton is aware that the safest place to be is in the front 20 or so – this is a basic racing principle taught at junior level – with the upshot that every team leader with a purpose wants to be in the first 20 riders with as many of their team-mates as can manage it.
The term "nervous" is on every rider and manager's lips when asked to describe the demands of the early phase of the race, but what they mean is more complex than a few shivers of anticipation at the prospect of a tricky bit of road or two.
She said they were more nervous about damage to their reputations than workers' rights.
He also acknowledges that the SDLP has suffered from being stereotyped as the Stormont psychiatrist, trying to encourage unionists and republicans alike to analyse their problems as each new nervous breakdown hits the peace process, but sometimes missing out on a share of the glory when the crisis passes.
Miranda Larbi, an MA newspaper journalism student at City University, says: "I'm nervous that in a couple of weeks I won't have my watch in my law exam – and that might cause problems.
The no side headed into spring in nervous mood as polls showed that a larger number of people agreed with Salmond's assessment that they were bluffing.
Better Together, which was conscious that the SNP had spent months marshalling the Scottish government's civil service resources behind the white paper, was nervous that the document could present a substantial threat.
They have to realise that the IRA's armed struggle is over.' Several of Trimble's closest allies were nervous and deeply uncertain about the IRA plan to put arms beyond use and allow international observers to monitor arms dumps.
The best of America was the best of the world … France was a land, England was a people, but America, having about it still that quality of the idea, was harder to utter – it was the graves at Shiloh and the tired, drawn, nervous faces of its great men, and the country boys dying in the Argonne for a phrase that was empty before their bodies withered.
At 1-1, you could see they suddenly became nervous but because we could not get to 2-1, you could not see how they would have responded.
On a recent Saturday evening, diners included Canberra arts luminaries, athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport and two nervous students on a first date, all of whom lingered well into the night.
