Scrough

a person working on the sidewalk

Scrough

v. intr.
to mindlessly perform a tedious task that nobody will ever notice, required by a bureaucracy that nobody fully owns, in pursuit of outcomes that nobody really wants.

From scrow, to work hard + scroff, useless bits of leftover material + cog, a tiny forgettable element in a complicated machine. Pronounced “skrawg.”

Ludiosis

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

Siso

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

Heartmoor

a campfire with a kettle many small logs

Poggled

a person studying a book with a magnifying glass

Fygophobia

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

Mimeomia

a person wearing an animal onesie garment

Nyctous

a person walking in the middle of a street

Anthrodynia

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

Anechosis

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

Routwash

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

Hemeisis

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

Anaphasia

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

Kenaway

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

Pax Latrina

Cover image for the Pax Latrina word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Ledsome

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

Holiette

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

Tillid

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

Mal De Coucou

a blurry image of several men

Hobsmacked

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

Kerisl

piles of old books scattered in an abandoned room

Heartworm

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

Adronitis

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

Nilous

a person standing at a bus terminal

Ecsis

a hand holding a fossil

Skidding

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

Elosy

a blurry image of a person in a subway car

Present-Tense

a close-up of a stopwatch