Harsh weather has always been a major challenge on battlefields. In medieval Europe, when armies marched over long distances in the winter, by the time they got to the field of battle, a significant percentage of the infantry troops would be suffering from serious frostbite. These soldiers were unable to fight because the nerves in their feet had been damaged by the cold. So, when the phrase “having cold feet” was first used, it meant “unable to fight because of frostbite”.

This phrase gained common use across Europe, and in the 19th century, it appeared in works of literature in both English and German. The German novelist Fritz Reuter used “getting cold feet” to mean “losing one’s nerve”. The American novelist Stephen Crane used it to mean “to lose courage or enthusiasm.”

Today, we use the phrase to mean “to back out of a serious commitment at the last minute” or “to be disheartened or become timid, thereby losing your enthusiasm or courage.”