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.”

Wenbane

a person standing on a ledge looking at a city skyline

Hobsmacked

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

Star-Stuck

a man walking towards a door with a large question mark

Burn Upon Reentry

Cover image for the Burn Upon Reentry word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Covalent Bond

Cover image for the Covalent Bond word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Pâro

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

Nullness

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

Xeno

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

Eigenschauung

Eigen-schauung

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

Latigo

aerial view of a city at night

Scrough

a person working on the sidewalk

Fata Organa

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

Rookish

a stone tower with a person seated on top

Clockwise

a close-up of flower along with polaroid pictures

Dolonia

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

Nilous

a person standing at a bus terminal

Daguerreologue

Daguer-reologue

a man sitting in blurred silhouette at a desk

Lap Year

several people racing bicycles uphill in a forest

Bareleveling

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

Dead Reckoning

Cover image for the Dead Reckoning word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows