Is there a word or phrase when you think you see a person, look away, then look back and the person is gone?
For example, I thought I saw my friend as I walked into a cafe. I looked at my phone, looked back up and he wasn't there. The table was empty, like there had been no one sitting at it.
I asked a coworker if he knew of a word or phrase and he told of a similar situation; he walked in the front door of his home, saw his roommate in the living room, turned right to walk into the kitchen and his roommate was in the kitchen.
He called this phenomenon "A glitch in the Matrix" or seeing a doppelgänger.
I don't think doppelgänger is the correct term, though.
Is there a better phrase or word to describe these mirages or phantoms we're seeing?
Best Answer
Glimpse -- Cambridge