Gobo

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

Gobo

n.
the delirium of having spent all day in an aesthetic frame of mind— watching a beautiful movie, taking photos across the city, getting lost in an art museum—which infuses the world with an aura of meaning, until every crack in the wall becomes a commitment to naturalism, and every rainbow swirling in a puddle feels like a choice.

Short for go-between. In theatrical lighting, a gobo is a layer inserted into a lamp that shapes the pool of light that hits the stage. Pronounced “goh-boh.”

Holiette

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

Latigo

aerial view of a city at night

Lackout

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

Zysia

a kite soaring above an empty landscape

Fitching

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

Sayfish

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