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'Then we go for the brain!'

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".

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Verboticisms

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Scifidumb

Created by: TJayzz

Pronunciation: Sy-fy-dum

Sentence: Whilst trying to explain the details to the general public about the inner workings of quantum physics, the scientists, in order to scifidumb the subject, resorted to employing a nursury school teacher to simplify things and also an author with a good imagination to make things more interesting by adding a few false facts.

Etymology: Sci-fi(Abbreviation of science fiction) + Dumb(as in dumb down) = Scifidumb

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COMMENTS:

it would be fun to hear verbotomists explaining quantum physics - I bet we cold come up with some interesting false facts - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:29:00

No doubt there Jabberwocky!! - TJayzz, 2009-01-31: 13:58:00

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Blandification

Created by: greenwireless

Pronunciation:

Sentence: The professor's findings underwent an extensive blandification process before they were sent to the media.

Etymology:

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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

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Simplescieman

Created by: mweinmann

Pronunciation: simpel - sii - man

Sentence: Rufus just published a new book about Brain Surgery. It looks like the simplescieman version with lots of colored pictures, new "easy" words for the anatomy and loads of symbols (arrows, charts and little brains). He is hoping that it will be more understandable and, therefore, appeal to a wider audience. Unfortunately, it is about as educational as a quick game of Operation.

Etymology: Simple Simon + Science >> Simple Simon (a foolish fellow, a simpleton) Science ( the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding, knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws)

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COMMENTS:

metrohumanx Simplescieman appeals to my "inner child"...I am a passionate practitioner of DIY surgery. - metrohumanx, 2009-01-30: 01:17:00

Perfect! - kateinkorea, 2009-01-30: 07:11:00

wonderful - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:18:00

Easy to say and remember, right on the definition, pun fun humorous, with readily apparent meaning! Simplescieman has it all! Super Duper! - silveryaspen, 2009-01-30: 15:48:00

Said Simplescieman to the Pi(π)man, let me taste your wares, Said the Pieman to Simplescieman, my Pi's aren't round, they're squared! Must be a good word if it is stuck in my head now! - Nosila, 2009-01-30: 17:54:00

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Chemhistory

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: kem his toree

Sentence: When Sodium met Chloride, they produced a child named Salt, who ended up waiting on tables. When the Hydrogen Twins met Oxygen, they all landed in hot Water. When Iron and Oxide's stormy marriage began to bore, their relationship became very rusty. Sooner or later people would know that Silicone had had some work done. Tune in tomorrow for more chemhistory in that Great SubOpera, Another Half-Life to Live.

Etymology: Chemistory (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions;the way two individuals relate to each other) & History ( the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings;

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Scientmythology

Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: sigh/ent/mith/all/oh/gee

Sentence: Men with deep resonant heartfelt voices are recruited from all over the planet to narrate spectacular scientmythology pablum for the general populace.

Etymology: scientology + mythology

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COMMENTS:

heehee! - galwaywegian, 2009-01-30: 08:02:00

Excellent - TJayzz, 2009-01-30: 10:59:00

Super combination - silveryaspen, 2009-01-30: 15:40:00

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Gnawledge

Created by: readerwriter

Pronunciation: naw-led-geh

Sentence: At first, Sophia thought it was stupid. Her science teacher at Totally High School had just given the class something he called a Sillybus. On their handouts, a bus was pictured on a kind of map travelling over land and water. The teacher explained the journey the science class would take throughout the school year towards something he called the land of GNAWLEDGE. The teacher promised to show the class that every organism, living or dead, was fed or became food for other organisms in a boat called a HIGHERARKY. For those students who were spiritually-minded, the teacher would present a special section called the Angel Food Cake Walk and prove that after all the little things you couldn't see were eaten by the things you could see, then angels, which you couldn't always see, ate people which you could only see for a while. That day, at morning break, Sophia decided to become anorexic.

Etymology: A play on KNOWLEDGE, the fact or state of knowing + GNAW, to bite or chew persistently

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COMMENTS:

love the story - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:16:00

Thanks for the high praise, Jabberwocky! - readerwriter, 2009-01-30: 11:53:00

Memorable story and verbotomy - silveryaspen, 2009-01-30: 15:43:00

no way! if gnawledge's etymology is based on "chew persistently", then doesn't that mean quite the opposite (or at least different) than "to simplify"? To me, this word means chewing on information and slowly making your own judgment, in contrast to passively swallowing "knowledge" that was produced by someone else - elcanyonazo, 2009-02-07: 15:28:00

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Dimmunology

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: dim mewn ol o jee

Sentence: Explaining how the body contracts diseases to his pretty but ditzy girlfriend, Dody, was a lesson in dimmunology for Professor Speigel.

Etymology: Dim (slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity) & Immunology (the branch of medical science that studies the body's immune system)

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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.

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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

metrohumanx Now I take Dammitol! - metrohumanx, 2009-01-31: 22:49:00

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-01-30: 00:01:01
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2009-01-30: 00:09:00
Well put.

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2009-01-30: 01:18:00
...and thank you for letting me "vent".

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-01-30: 12:11:00
Thank you for venting! Obviously you are very gnawledgeable. ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-08-16: 00:40:00
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James