kassaDec 31, 2022
Jon Jones
I love that there's a word for this. It's from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, which gets more incredible the more I explore it.
Dec 31, 2022 at 8:12amWeb
Show threadJon JonesDec 31, 2022

Here's a non-referral link to the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: https://amazon.com/Dictionary-Obscure-Sorrows-John-Koenig/dp/1501153641/

I got it for Christmas and I've been keeping it near where I'm working/relaxing to pick up, find a random page, learn something new, then set it down to mull it over. I highly recommend it.

Show threadJon JensenDec 31, 2022
@jonjones I was given this book for Christmas and am enjoying it too! Planning to pace myself to enjoy & absorb better.
Show threadJon JonesDec 31, 2022

@jonjensen That's awesome! I hope you enjoy it. It's so intensely good that I recommend taking it in very small increments, which I learned the hard way. Each individual entry can dredge up a lot of unexpected emotional cruft, at least for me, so I take it in little nibbles rather than big chunks.

Not that I'm prescribing how you should appreciate it. hah! I just had a very Raiders of the Ark face-melty moment after reading three or four consecutive entries.

Show threadkatveDec 31, 2022
@jonjones project's got a website too! -> https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

“Creates beautiful new words that we need but do not yet have.” — John Green, author of The Fault in...

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Show threadRob WeldonDec 31, 2022
@jonjones yes! I got it last year. It’s awesome.
Show threadWestern ExposureJan 1, 2023
@jonjones
Non-Amazon and for less (at present):
https://www.bookdepository.com/Dictionary-Obscure-Sorrows-John-Koenig/9781501153648?ref=grid-view&qid=1672569246079&sr=1-1
Free delivery worldwide on all books from Book Depository

Book Depository is the world's most international online bookstore offering over 20 million books with free delivery worldwide.

Show threadGerty SteinblattDec 31, 2022

@jonjones @kashaar #CommentAltText
Photo of a dictionary page defining the word 'midding':

"midding

n. the tranquil pleasure of being near a gathering but not quite in it — hovering on the perimeter of a campfire, talking quietly outside a party, resting your eyes in the back seat of a car listening to friends chatting up front — [...]"

[cont'd]

Show threadAlessa Giampaolo KeenerDec 31, 2022
@GertyBz @jonjones @kashaar
"Midding" - the perfect word to describe the #ActuallyAutistic satisfied feeling of being part of a social encounter on our own terms.
Show threadGerty SteinblattDec 31, 2022

@jonjones @kashaar
#CommentAltText

[cont'd 2]

"[...] — feeling blissfully invisible yet still fully included, safe in the knowledge that everyone is together and everyone is okay, with all the thrill of being there without the burden of having to be.

Middle English "midding", alternate spelling of "midden". a refuse heap that sits near a dwelling. Pronounced [with enphasis on the 1st syllable] MIDD-ing. "

Show threadKatieKlocksinDec 31, 2022
@nerkles 😲
Show threadEntitledDec 31, 2022
@jonjones Need more of that. A shame that as a protagonist I am always the center of attention of my world...
Show thread🍻 alfajet 🇫🇷 🇬🇧Dec 31, 2022
@jonjones I thought they were talking about me all along! 😂
Show threadTim SeverienDec 31, 2022
@jonjones This is me. I’m frequently asked whether I’m having a good time while I’m listening to peers and enjoying their company.
Show threadDaniela AidleyDec 31, 2022
@jonjones As an introvert I recognise this in my very soul. One of life's great pleasures
Show threadGrace 🖌️ Democracy AdvocateDec 31, 2022
@jonjones
Midding: tell me you’re an introvert without telling me you’re an introvert..
Show threadMartin Vermeer FCDDec 31, 2022
@jonjones Re: etymology: kökkenmödding
https://carolinahardh.se/kitchen-midden.html
kökkenmödding | CAROLINA HÄRDH

CAROLINA HÄRDH
Show threadJenny ZehringerDec 31, 2022
@jonjones Yep - that’s me exactly 😁
Show threadD PawsonDec 31, 2022
@jonjones
Midding: N England. 4' high enclosure for cow dung collected in winter whilst cattle are indoors.
Show threadkatveDec 31, 2022
@jonjones i only get this with the addition that i'm half-lost, dissociating, searching for a pair of eyes to pull me back into the real world, and fomo-ing over talking to all the cool people that might be there
Show threadMaureen MDec 31, 2022
@jonjones I love the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows! I wrote a novel called Sonder after finding this word there. Thanks for "midding," I "mid" all the time as a writer, lol
Show threadalettDec 31, 2022
@jonjones one of the words in the book is ‘sonder’ Sonder is an actual word (in Afrikaans) with the meaning of ‘without’. As in…. I went to the store without (sonder) my purse.
Show threadCarla MartinDec 31, 2022
@jonjones 😂
Show threadSquidbillyDec 31, 2022
@jonjones
John Koenig also has a great blog ( https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/ ) and a YouTube channel ( https://youtube.com/@obscuresorrows ) that are worth checking out.
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

“Creates beautiful new words that we need but do not yet have.” — John Green, author of The Fault in...

Tumblr
Show threadalysonsee (Fca)Dec 31, 2022
@jonjones Thank you for letting me know this book exists! I’ve added it to my shopping list in between “Poems for the Lost Because I’m Lost Too” and some bathroom cleaner.
Show threadLinzaDec 31, 2022
@jonjones "a refuse heap that sits near a dwelling" 🫠 it me
Show threadElio CampitelliDec 31, 2022
@jonjones Oh, so there's a word for what I do at parties!
Show threadMilkieMDec 31, 2022
@jonjones beautiful way to start the year.
Show threadSusanDec 31, 2022
@jonjones damn! Never knew there was a word for how I live my life.
Show threadWesDymDec 31, 2022
@jonjones Whether there 'is a word' for anything may be debatable, but is generally validated by currency (actual use). John Koenig is a wonderful modern poet in my own view, and I love his work myself, and sometimes quote it. But these are invented words, and extremely few have gained any currency. 'Sonder' is in fact the only one I'd credit with that, though nearly all references so far are some version of the original.
Show threadzirben!Dec 31, 2022
@jonjones @OCRbot
Show threadOCR BotDec 31, 2022

@unsuspicious
midding
n, the tranquil pleasure of being near a gathering but not
quite in it—hovering on the perimeter of a campfire,
talking quietly outside a party, resting your eyes in the
back seat of a car listening to friends chatting up front—
feeling blissfully invisible yet still fully included, safe in
the knowledge that everyone is together and everyone is
okay, with all the thrill of being there without the burden

of having to be.

Middle English midding, alternate spelling of midden, a refuse heap that
sits near a dwelling. Pronounced “mid-ing.”

Hachnw

Show threadSharonbw stands with MinnesotaDec 31, 2022

@jonjones

I immediately love this word, though I've never heard of it before. This is the dream of every introvert and is a highly underrated experience!

#Introvert

Show threadSnooze Button ConnoisseurDec 31, 2022
@jonjones
Good one! 💯
I feel like I need to tag this for the hashtag followers #WordNerd
Show threadDiana SpencerDec 31, 2022
@jonjones I had never heard of this and now I am quietly obsessed!
Show threadAmbigram ArtDec 31, 2022

@jonjones

Fair to middling?

Show threadSparkle TeaDec 31, 2022

@jonjones

Not fully a sorrow, really.

Lovely word.

Show threadHannekeDec 31, 2022
@jonjones @fern I might have a new favourite word
Show threadNoctisEqui 🇺🇦🇵🇸🇪🇹🏳️‍🌈Dec 31, 2022
@jonjones
Now do ‘agenbite of inwit’
Show threadClarkeDec 31, 2022
@jonjones An introvert's manifesto. Thanks for posting!
Show threadJohn Hartley WriterDec 31, 2022
@jonjones I think that’s my favourite place to be! Thank you for sharing the word!
Show threadSandra Hoenle (she/her) 🇨🇦Dec 31, 2022
@jonjones this is a great word. Sad that we’ve more or less lost so many beautifully descriptive words in English.
Show threadAlan Houser ☻␆Dec 31, 2022
@jonjones
Show threadDawn Adill PickleDec 31, 2022
@jonjones aka the Introverts Mantra.
#newyearseve #2023Resolutions
Show threadFrank VehafricDec 31, 2022
@jonjones This is the vibe dogs give off, and why we like them so much I think. Knowing the pack is together and safe, and that one's place in it is secure.
Show threadSecretoriginzDec 31, 2022
@jonjones That's the state in which I do my best writing. I seek it out at every opportunity.
Show thread2thfunDec 31, 2022
@jonjones Thank you! This is perfect. And how do I acquire the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows?
Show thread2thfunDec 31, 2022
@jonjones just saw the link you posted. Thanks
Show threadLance HomerDec 31, 2022

@jonjones Have you read “Atlas of the Heart”? Seems very much up your alley based upon this thread.

Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience https://a.co/d/7GkcV9f

Show threadTikke The Urd ✅Dec 31, 2022
@jonjones To a moderate amount, I am this.
Show threadCarolyn StearnsDec 31, 2022
@jonjones I was not aware of that usage only the trash heap of archaeology quests
Show threadAlacrity FitzhughDec 31, 2022
@jonjones YES
Show threadCAMILLE CLARE MD MPH CPE FACOGJan 1, 2023
@jonjones May you have one midding after the other #HNE
Show threadandreagreenJan 1, 2023

@jonjones

Midding, what a wonderful word for a very familiar feeling. As an introvert, it's a joy to find so poetic an explanation of very familiar social territory. Definitely ordering this book asap!

Show threadJohnson 🏳️‍🌈🤓Jan 1, 2023
@jonjones "midding" is my safe place. :)
Show threadLilith AttackJan 1, 2023
@jonjones this is a dictionary I need. 😊 Thank you!
Show threadMelanie FoxfireJan 1, 2023
@jonjones oh I love this!! I'm going to read it!
Show threadVikJan 1, 2023
@jonjones What an interesting dictionary! When seeing something like this, I am always fascinated by the sheer amount of words the English language offers. As a non-native, I always get the feeling that it is impossible to really master this language because of the size of its vocabulary.
Thank you for the glimpse into this book!
Show threadHoigwaiJan 1, 2023
@jonjones My existence in a nutshell.
Show threaddoleful moo of a cowJan 1, 2023
@jonjones there's a word for it in the sense that someone made one up, sure. but try using it with anyone who hasn't read that same book and see how far you get
Show threadClayton SlaughterJan 1, 2023
@jonjones better to be on the edge of a party don’t you think?
Mandy Nichols to John Kelso