I recently discovered one of my neigbours in the block hacking and digging away at the ivy border that covers many square metres of the communal garden. In explanation, he said that he couldn't stand the sight of ivy, unless it was on a wall!
He also mentioned that he had been carefully measuring the distance between the edge of the ivy border and the building, and it had become clear that that distance had shrunk by about 6 inches over the several years, during which the gardener had been responsible for trimming the border (among other things), and everything seemed fine to everyone else at the address.
Has anyone ever heard of such a phobia? I had to coin a phrase for it, because it isn't in any dictionary that I could find.
Also, does anyone suffer from any other highly unusual phobias, not named in any dictionary?
His sudden and energetic bout of digging and cutting ivy roots led to knock-on effects, such as his circadian rhythm shifting significantly, making him nocturnally active, unfortunately.