When the Term “Cabin Fever” First Became Popular

The title of the 1918 novel Cabin Fever, by B.M. Bower, references the term then widely used in the American West to denote the restless feeling of being cooped up too long in a cabin all winter. A synonym for cabin fever is shanty fever. On the other hand, the terms hill nutty and bushy refer to being out in the wilderness for long periods of isolation. As we’ve previously discussed, stir-crazy derives from stir, an old word that means “prison.” This is part of a complete episode.