Amuse-Douche

Cover image for the Amuse-Douche word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Amuse-Douche

n.
an activity that you’ve adored since you were a kid—riding bikes, reading books, taking pictures, cooking food—whose enjoyment dissolves on contact with hardcore fanatics’ ferocious obsession with technique.

From amuse-bouche, a bite-size appetizer intended to tantalize the palate + douche. Pronounced “ah-mooz-doosh.”

Wenbane

a person standing on a ledge looking at a city skyline

Hobsmacked

Cover image for the Hobsmacked word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Star-Stuck

a man walking towards a door with a large question mark

Burn Upon Reentry

Cover image for the Burn Upon Reentry word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Covalent Bond

Cover image for the Covalent Bond word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Pâro

Cover image for the Pâro word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Nullness

Cover image for the Nullness word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Xeno

Cover image for the Xeno word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Eigenschauung

Eigen-schauung

Cover image for the Eigenschauung word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Latigo

aerial view of a city at night

Scrough

a person working on the sidewalk

Scrough

a person working on the sidewalk

Occhiolism

Cover image for the Occhiolism word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Pithered

stacks of papers and folders piled high on a table

Aftergloom

Cover image for the Aftergloom word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Inerrata

a hand holding a broken cup

Desanté

Cover image for the Desanté word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Nemotia

a city with clouds of smoke

Ellipsism

a hand clawing at a wall

Kadot

a person looking at an abstract spiral