Official Terminology Reference · Publication IAD-GL-2026
The Ick n.
The sudden, involuntary collapse of attraction triggered by a small, often unrelated detail: how he chased the ball, the way she said a word. Late-arriving, non-negotiable, and usually a signal the subject had been overriding earlier ones.
The Institute notes the ick is rarely about the triggering detail. It is the body filing a report the subject declined to read for weeks.
Representative usage
She got the ick when he ran for the bus. Two months of mixed signals: fine. The jog: unforgivable.
Journal of Applied Self-Regard, Vol. 9.