Tourist's Neck

A colloquial name for an affliction that consists of neck and shoulder tension as the result of continual craning of the neck to look behind one's shoulder; presumed to be in fear of assailants in a foreign and unfriendly place.

Coined in the early 70s when European tourists to New York City (during its period of high crime and dysfunction) would persistently look behind their shoulders to check up on sketchy locals after hearing countless horror stories of brazen muggers and bloodthirsty thugs from overwrought TV reports—and would strain their necks to the point of stiffness because of the excessive compression.

Alfhild got a bad case of Tourist's Neck after visiting Los Angeles and needed an ice pack to relieve his stress; those special reports on downtown drive-by shootings were overkill.

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