Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“Home can be great but it also feels claustrophobic.”
- Icelandic musician Bjork on having the just the right amount of adventure. (Harp)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
afraid of small spaces
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Any word that ends in “phobia” is describing a certain kind of fear. Perhaps you recall the movie Arachnophobia, in which spiders take over a town. “Arachnophobia” means fear of spiders.
Generally, phobias refer to irrational fears. For instance, one who is claustrophobic would be terrified to climb into a cupboard. There’s no reason to be scared of climbing in a cupboard. You could just get in, sit there for a second and get out and go about your day. But a person with a phobia can’t help his or her fears.
Unlike most other phobias, the word claustrophobia has a lot of other uses. Anytime you feel your surroundings are limiting you or holding you in place, you can say that you’re feeling claustrophobic.
Björk is a famous musician. It’s doubtful that her house is very small. In fact, it’s probably quite large. So when she says that being home makes her feel claustrophobic, she doesn’t mean that she’s a afraid of a tiny space. She means that home can feel closed-in and restricting to her. Sometimes she’d rather be traveling.
Almost any situation has the potential to be claustrophobic. A class that you’re in, your job, a friendship, a group of friends, your family, all of these things can be claustrophobic, though hopefully not at the same time!
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“Please, don’t ask me to hide in the closet! I’m claustrophobic.”
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