Jouska

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

Jouska

n.
a hypothetical conversation that you compulsively play out in your head—a crisp analysis, a devastating comeback, a cathartic heart-to-heart—which serves as a kind of psychological batting cage that feels far more satisfying than the small-ball strategies of everyday life.

French jusqu’à, until. In baseball, “small ball” is a cautious offensive strategy devoted to getting on base via walks, bunts, and steals, forgoing the big home run moments that fans tend to enjoy. Pronounced “zhoos-ka.”

Hubilance

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

Keir

a snowy landscape with trees and a fence

Vellichor

shelves with many books stacked and organized

Midsummer

a person standing in a garden holding a clock

Solla, Solla, Solla

a hand reaching out for plant tendril

Rückkehrunruhe

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