Fool’s Guilt

Cover image for the Fool’s Guilt word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Fool’s Guilt

n.
a pulse of shame you feel even though you’ve done nothing wrong— passing a police car while under the speed limit, being carded after legally ordering a drink, or exiting a store without buying anything.

From fool’s gold + guilt. Also known as a reverse Alford plea, whereby you plead innocent to all charges but want the judge to know that you feel kinda guilty anyway.

Zverism

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

Mogging Folly

a person sitting on a bench

Aesthosis

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

Karanoia

a neat stack of white paper

Clockwise

a close-up of flower along with polaroid pictures

Offtides

close-up of a chromed metal object