relayfriend

/ˈriːleɪˌfrɛnd/nounVerified New

The mutual friend deputized to carry messages between two people who are no longer speaking.

The relay starts as a kindness and becomes a job, complete with diplomatic incidents. Most relays retire within a year.

Etym. — relay + friend — a human postal service.

Novelty check: NEW · checked 2026-11-08

review evidence: wordstoreview/review-batch-3-09-social.md

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Method: Editorial batch review — per-word exact-form web search (WebSearch/Tavily) per docs/REVIEW-criteria.md §2