Untranslatable wordEmotionGerman

Torschlusspanik

Meaning: The anxious fear that time is running out — that the gates of opportunity, youth, or life are closing before you've done enough.

Literally: Gate-closing panic

Origin: German Tor ('gate') + Schluss ('closing') + Panik; originally referred to medieval city gates.

More untranslatable words — Emotion

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  • Hiraeth A homesickness for a home you can't return to, or perhaps never had — a grief for lost pl…
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More German untranslatable words

  • Kummerspeck The weight you gain from emotional eating — the extra pounds that accumulate during heart…
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  • Verschlimmbessern To make something worse in a well-intentioned attempt to improve it.
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  • Waldeinsamkeit The serene, faintly mystical feeling of being alone in the woods, at peace with nature.

Explore another collection: False Friends

Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.

  • Gift Actually means 'poison'. A present is ein Geschenk.
  • Handy Actually means 'a mobile phone'. For handy/useful, say praktisch.
  • Fast Actually means 'almost'. For fast/quick, say schnell.

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