| 释义 |
‖ Torschlusspanik|ˈtoːrʃlʊsˌpanɪk|
[Ger., lit. ‘shut door (or gate) panic’.]
A sense of alarm or anxiety (said to be experienced particularly in middle age) caused by the suspicion that life's opportunities are passing (or have passed) one by; spec. that manifested in an ageing woman who longs to (re)discover the (sexual) excitement of youth, and who fears being left ‘on the shelf’.
1963P. Bracken I Hate to Housekeep Bk. ix. 92 The random housewife is often prone to Torschlusspanik, or fear of being locked in the park at night, after the gates are closed. 1977Time 8 Aug. 21/3 She was haunted by Torschluss-panik (mid-life crisis). 1980Times Lit. Suppl. 14 Mar. 287/2 She [sc. Mme de Staël] is perhaps history's most outstanding case of Torschlusspanik: the panic at the shutting of the door. |