pins and needles

　沖縄県宜野湾市にある市立普天間第二小学校の校庭に、米軍ヘリの窓枠が落下しました。

Window frame from U.S. copter falls on Okinawa school ground

A metal window frame fell from a U.S. military helicopter here Dec. 13, narrowly missing children doing gym exercises on school ground although a pebble kicked up by the fallen object hit a boy’s hand.

It was the second such incident in the city in less than a week. The item was about 90 centimeters square.

Okinawa prefectural police were alerted to the fallen object by the Futenma No. 2 Elementary School at 10:10 a.m. The school is located next to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

中略

“There is no way telling when we should be on our guard because we don’t know when they will fly over us,” he said. “I feel pins and needles just thinking that a serious accident could occur anytime.”

以下省略

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201712130031.html

　pins and needlesを取り上げます。鋭いものが２つ並んでいますが、どのようなことを表しているのでしょうか。『ライトハウス英和辞典』（第5版　研究社）で調べると「（略式）ちくちくする感じ（手足などのしびれが切れたときの）」とありました。

　LDOCEには “an uncomfortable feeling, often in your foot or your leg, which you get especially when you have not moved part of your body for a long time, and the supply of blood has stopped flowing properly” と定義されています。

　記事にある”just thinking that a serious accident could occur anytime” という部分をふまえると、同じことがまた起こりうると心配する気持ちに刺激され、そわそわしたり、ピリピリと警戒したりする様子を表現しているのではないかと思われます。（aqua）