Torschlusspanik

The German compound Torschlusspanik—from Tor (gate), Schluss (shut), and Panik (panic)—dates to medieval times, when city residents rushed to return before gates closed at dusk, fearing being locked out overnight with thieves and attackers. First recorded in the 1960s with its modern psychological meaning, the term gained international attention when Time Magazine used it on August 18, 1961, to describe East Germans' frantic flight to West Germany before the border sealed—a literal gate-closing panic.