Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To simplify, dramatize and fictionalize scientific knowledge so that it appeals to a general audience. n. A scientific fact, which has been exaggerated and dumbed-down to make it more "interesting".
Verboticisms
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Lowdumbdown
Created by: kateinkorea
Pronunciation: LOW dum DOWN
Sentence: I asked for his understanding of the lowdown on the new cloning technology, and the typical cognitwit that he is, he gave me the lowdumbdown version. He thinks he is so smart that he has to talk down to me. I think we should have him cloned just so we have two of him to send out for coffee from now on.
Etymology: LOWDOWN: the true and most important facts about something to know DUMBDOWN: an over-simplification of something thought to cause a decline in its quality or value
Defactoid
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: de-fac-toid
Sentence: Due to the success of his book, "K-9 ET" (Extra-terrestrial Doggies), Fred became the defactoid authority on canine aliens. He was a popular guest on the talk show circut and, after appearances on Larry King and The Tonight Show, landed his own cable television show, called "Is Your Dog an Alien?"
Etymology: de:remove from + fact: truth -- defacto: dominant standard or law that exists because of common acceptance rather than authority + factoid: a "fact" that exists to create or manipulate public opinion - often applied to newsmedia accused of publishing untrue or unverified articles for the purpose of sensationalism.
Simpliphylum
Created by: cosmonaut
Pronunciation: sim-pluh-fahy-luhm
Sentence: "He's caught Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!" "Um, is there anyway you could simpliphylum that for us...?"
Etymology: A new and exciting cross-bread between simplify and phylum.
Scienterrific
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: sīəntərifik
Sentence: The science programming on on John's favorite channel is very good at making mundane subjects scienterrific.
Etymology: science (the state of knowing) + terrific (extraordinary)
Xcisefiles
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: X/cise/Files
Sentence: Be sure to watch PBS's latest and greatest scientific adventure yet, in the show all the scientific world is buzzing about 'The XciseFiles' starring David Duchonvy as Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully. In this week's nail biter, with a surprising and shocking ending, the two stars take you on a long, scary and sometimes dangerous journey on how water boils at 100 degrees celcius, turns to steam, then condenses and turns back to rain, or water. Don't miss this week's shocking, suspenseful premier called 'The Water Cycle'.
Etymology: XciseFiles - noun - from EXCISE (to remove, or cut out) + X-FILES (former popular TV show above strange and possible scientific facts and recent movie 'X-Files - I Want to Believe'
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COMMENTS:
terrific sentence - you must be a science teacher - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:18:00
I smell an Emmy...good word! - Nosila, 2009-01-30: 17:56:00
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Darwnsagain
Created by: scrabbelicious
Pronunciation: Dar-wins-ag-en
Sentence: Mr. Cox loved his subject so much he strived to get everyone in his ecolony to marvel at every intricate detail of its fabrication. "Ground breaking", he thought, "almost Darwinsagain".
Etymology: Darwin -: Famous Victorian lover of Tortoises and birds with one wing. Win -: to be victorious. Again -: More than once, recurring.
Tryptostretch
Created by: jajsr
Pronunciation: Trip-toe-str-etch
Sentence: After Thanksgiving dinner, Shawn sat down on the couch and started to doze off. When his nephew, John, asked him why he was so sleepy, Shawn said it was because of the tryptophan in the turkey. Little to Shawn's knowledge, John had just finished watching a special about the "tryptophan myth", and realized Shawn just delievered a classic tryptostretch.
Etymology: Combination of "Trypto" from tryptophan - amino acid in turkey that's 'supposed' to make you sleepy; and "stretch" - an exercise of something beyond ordinary or normal limits - exaggeration.
Idioticks
Created by: abrakadeborah
Pronunciation: id-ee-ot-icks
Sentence: The idioticks section of the Science test may be found on page 0h-0ne-0h-0ne.
Etymology: Idio- Part of idiotic - Very stupid. Icks- (Made up)and pertaining to ; a person who doesn't have the capacity to retain scientific facts.
Driveldings
Created by: silveryaspen
Pronunciation: drih vul dings
Sentence: On television, the overly-simplified science, dripping with over-the-top sexual inuendo, and ever-so- sneaky subliminal suggestions, that advertisers put in their commercials, insults your intelligence, far more, than it convinces you to buy their products. Commercial breaks are well named, for they certainly break-your-cool with their driveldings. Can anyone stand those half-hour and hour-long driveldings they refer to as infomercials?!!! It's enough to drive your kids to pick up a book and read!
Etymology: DRIVEL, DINGS. DRIVEL - silly talk, often irrelevant or inaccurate talk. On tv, they often try to pass it off as scientific. DINGS - 1) to ring with a high-pitched sound. 2) talk repeatedly
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COMMENTS:
infomercials are terrible but what I find astonishing are the drug adds that end with several minutes of side effects - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:22:00
Amen. Equally astonishing is that people still take them knowing those side effects! - silveryaspen, 2009-01-30: 15:38:00
Now I take Dammitol! - metrohumanx, 2009-01-31: 22:49:00
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Shocumentary
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: shäkyəmentərē
Sentence: Well we’ve lasted through another Sharkweak. Seven days of people ”risking their lives” to show us just how dangerous sharks are. Each shocumentary tried to outdo the other scaring their audience, at least in the promos.
Etymology: shock (a sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience) + documentary (a movie or a television or radio program that provides a factual record or report)
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James
Well put.
...and thank you for letting me "vent".
Thank you for venting! Obviously you are very gnawledgeable. ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James