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.

Vulture Shock

Cover image for the Vulture Shock word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Knellish

a blurry image of a person lying on a bed

Emorries

a magnifying glass over photos and books

Povism

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

Cullaways

a lone sand castle on a beach at low tide

Holiette

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