Have You Felt the 'Walls Are Closing in on You'?

Have You Felt the 'Walls Are Closing in on You'?

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning¹ English.

On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give you examples and notes on usage².

Today we go inside a building and talk about a feature of every building – walls.

Walls protect us from the outside world. They can help us stay safe and give us comfort.

But what if we are inside a room too long? Those same walls can start to feel like a prison. We can feel trapped by them. When that happens, we can say the walls are closing in on us.

This means you are feeling confined³, or stuck, in an area.

For example, after a year of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt like the walls of my house were closing in on me. When that feeling came over me, I knew I needed to go outside for a walk!

When you feel trapped or confined indoors⁴, a walk outside usually helps. Not only are you in the fresh air, but you are also looking at different things. A change of scenery can help when you feel like the walls are closing in.

Sometimes the "walls" in this idiom are not actual walls in a building. Instead, they are walls in our minds or in a certain situation. We can use the expression the walls are closing in when we are sick and tired of something.

For example, if you unable to make advances in your job, you could feel like the walls have closed in on your career. You may feel like you don't have the chance to advance or try new things.

It can feel like the "walls" are closing in on a relationship too. When people find themselves in very restricted⁵ relationships with someone who is trying to control them, it may feel like the walls are closing in on them.

In these cases, a change of scenery is not found outside in the woods. The change of scenery is a new job or a new relationship.

When the walls feel like they are closing in, we can also use another word to describe what we are feeling: claustrophobic.

Claustrophobia is defined⁶ as an abnormal⁷ fear of being in closed or confined spaces. Sometimes, we use the term "claustrophobic" to mean we feel uneasy⁸ by a situation that is limiting or restricting⁹. This feeling of unease could be from physical or non-physical reasons. A job and a relationship can also feel claustrophobic.

Now let's listen to two people use the words and expressions you heard in this story.

A: Hey, what happened to Chad? I haven't seen him around DC lately.

B: During the pandemic, he moved out west...somewhere in the desert.

A: The desert? What made him do that!?

B: He said he felt too claustrophobic in the city and was sick and tired of being around so many people. He needed more space and open skies!

A: I can understand that. Sometimes the walls of my apartment feel like they are closing in on me. But moving to the desert is a pretty extreme decision.

B: He'll be back. He texted me last night complaining that it takes him 30 minutes to drive to the nearest store.

A: Well ... he wanted more space. Now he's got it!

B: Yep.

And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories.

Words in This Story

feature – n. a part or detail that stands out

comfort – n. to give strength and hope to

confined – adj. limited to a particular location

scenery – n. a view or landscape resembling a beautiful painting

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

3 confined   

adj. 被限制的,狭窄的,在分娩中的; 动词confine的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The work will not be confined to the Glasgow area. 此项工作不会局限于格拉斯哥地区。
• It is cruel to keep animals in confined spaces. 把动物关在狭小的空间里是残酷的。

4 indoors   

adv.(在)室内，(在)户内

参考例句：

• Because of the coldness of the weather we stayed indoors.我们因天气寒冷呆在家里。
• It is very cold outside,you'd better come indoors across the board.外面很冷，你们所有人最好都进屋。

5 restricted   

adj.有限的；受约束的

参考例句：

• Speed is restricted to 30 mph in towns. 在城里车速不得超过每小时30英里。
• a restricted range of foods 有限的食物种类

6 defined   

adj 定义的; 清晰的

参考例句：

• These categories are not well defined. 这些类别划分得不太明确。
• The powers of a judge are defined by law. 法官的权限是由法律规定的。

7 abnormal   

adj.反常的，不正常的，不规则的

参考例句：

• This warm weather is abnormal for February.二月里这种温暖的天气不太正常。
• That is simply abnormal.那简直是反常的。

8 uneasy   

adj.心神不安的，担心的，令人不安的

参考例句：

• He feels uneasy today.他今天心里感到不安。
• She had an uneasy feeling that they were still following her.她有一种他们仍在跟踪她的不安感觉。

9 restricting   

v.（以法规）限制( restrict的现在分词 )；约束；束缚

参考例句：

• laws restricting immigration into the US 美国限制外来移民的法律
• She argued for import control, ie the restricting of imports. 她主张实行进口限制。 来自辞典例句