Incidental Contact High

Cover image for the Incidental Contact High word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Incidental Contact High

n.
an innocuous touch by someone just doing their job—a barber, yoga instructor, or friendly waitress—that you find more meaningful than you’d like to admit; a feeling of connection so stupefyingly simple it makes you wonder if aspiring novelists would be better off just offering people a hug.

In sports, incidental contact is a glancing touch that doesn’t rise to the level of a foul. A contact high is when you feel the effects of a drug vicariously.

Fata Organa

Cover image for the Fata Organa word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Etterath

a graduation cap and gown on a chair

Rialtoscuro

a blurry image of a light source

Proluctance

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

Backmasking

a woman's face with a double exposure

Ne’er-Be-Gone

Cover image for the Ne’er-Be-Gone word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows