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I got on the bus and stood beside a white lady. She seemed to be uncomfortable. She was busy securing her belongings and [stood like a coiled centipede] as if she was scared I would snatch away her handbag.

What is the appropriate word/phrase/idiom to describe this situation?

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  • You can use the expression: be “on the defensive” - If someone is on the defensive, they are trying to protect themselves or their interests because they feel unsure or threatened. (Collins).
    – user 66974
    Jul 16, 2022 at 11:27
  • She was paranoid. She had a chip on her shoulder. If there was a racial difference, you could say that she appeared to be afraid of non-whites or people of color. Or maybe she was just afraid of you -- are you scary looking? Sadly, "coiled centipede" doesn't work in English -- but some people will be adventurous enough to appreciate it.
    – aparente001
    Jul 17, 2022 at 1:09
  • I suggest there is no particularly appropriate word/phrase/idiom for that, nor anything closer to it than your own 'stood like a coiled centipede'. Why would you doubt that? Either way, in my view word, phrase, expression and idiom requests should be promoted to their own specialised community, perhaps named 'Vocabulary.'
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Sep 7, 2022 at 21:20

3 Answers 3

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She shrank back/away or recoiled.

Shrink

If you shrink away from someone or something, you move away from them because you are frightened, shocked, or disgusted by them.

  • One child shrinks away from me when I try to talk to him. (Collins)

Recoil

to move back because of fear or disgust (= dislike or disapproval) (Cambridge)

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You could call her wary, defined by Merriam-Webster as:

having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble

Or as watchful, defined by Merriam-Webster as:

paying close attention usually for the purpose of anticipating approaching danger or opportunity

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She stiffened.

stiffen [verb]

1 [intransitive]: to suddenly hold your body in a stiff way, often because you become nervous, worried, angry, or unfriendly

  • She stiffened as the footsteps came closer and closer.

[Macmillan

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