How to Memorize

he/she was a bag of nerves

Analysis

The idiom 'a bag of nerves' is used to describe someone who is extremely anxious or nervous. It is a descriptive phrase used in creative writing or when exaggerating. It can be used in social and professional contexts but you are more likely to see or hear it in informal situations. 

Social Examples (Advance)

1. Before making his speech at the wedding, John was a bag of nerves. He didn't sleep the night before!
2. The girls' team were a bag of nerves the night before the championship final.

Professional Examples (Basic)

1. I have an interview tomorrow morning, and I can't sleep. I'm a bag of nerves!
2. I hate speaking in public, I just become a bag of nerves.

Further Suggestions