Word of the Day
12 March 2026
kiss
A low-speed mid-air collision between the envelopes of two hot air balloons, generally causing no damage or injury.
Why this one
Fabric on fabric at walking pace is a different event from metal on metal, and the vocabulary reflects that: balloonists reserve the softer word for contact that leaves nothing to report but a story.
In use
We caught a kiss with the yellow envelope on the way down, nothing on the fabric, but I'll still walk the panels before we pack up.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.