Completely cowed by an act of terrorism, particularly one that has no bearing on one's day to day life, or that indicates a credible threat to one's own safety; Responding to political violence in such a reactionary way as to further the goals of the perpetrators; So panicked by an act of terrorism as to be rendered incapable of rational thought
It seems that a lot of legislators, governors, and media pundits are terrorfied by the recent attacks.
Someone or something that bites your ankles.
To a postman, an ankle biter is often known as a dog.
To an adult, an ankle biter may be a toddler.
To hikers, an ankle biter is sometimes a tick.
And so on.