NERVY

brash, cheeky, nervy

(adjective) offensively bold; “a brash newcomer disputed the age-old rules for admission to the club”; “a nervy thing to say”

nervy

(adjective) showing or requiring courage and contempt of danger; “the nervy feats of mountaineers”

edgy, high-strung, highly strung, jittery, jumpy, nervy, overstrung, restive, uptight

(adjective) being in a tense state

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adjective

nervy (comparative nervier, superlative nerviest)

(US) Having nerve; bold; brazen.

(British) Feeling nervous, anxious or agitated.

(archaic) Strong; sinewy.

(technical) jittery; having unwanted signal characteristics.

Source: Wiktionary

Nerv"y, a. [Compar. Nervier; superl. - iest.]

Definition: Strong; sinewy. "His nervy knees." Keats.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition