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
Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...
You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.
Spinflictosham
Created by: metrohumanx
Pronunciation: spin-FLICK-toe-sham (spinflictoshammer, spinflictoshammed)
Sentence: Albert, a sensitive but demented biologist, was taken aback when he flicked on his television and found out that the folks at LYSOL had managed to bio-engineer all household bacteria into frightening, agressive enemies the size of GUMMYBEARS! Regular soap kills 98 % of germs but- in order to promote sales of "antibacterial" products, corporate advertising mavens sought to frighten everyone by portraying innocuous germs as flesh-eating maggots from hell. Albert knew that this approach to increased sales was merely a persuasive bogus SPINFLICTOSHAM...perpetrated to scare caring parental units into purchasing "ECO"products which cost more, but were no more effective than grandma's home-made soap. Albert sent an e-mail in protest, but in the end he washed his hands of the whole affair.
Etymology: SPIN+inFLICT+"O"+SHAM=SPINFLICTOSHAM.......SPIN:to present (as information) with a particular spin,to stretch out or extend (as a story) lengthily; .....INFLICT:to give by or as if by striking ,to cause (something unpleasant) to be endured, especially false knowledge; Latin inflictus, past participle of infligere, from in- + fligere "to strike"....."O"-a 20th century connective trick used to fuse two words together (suds-o-mat).....SHAM: a trick that deludes, a hoax, cheap falseness, especially purporting to be based upon scientific knowledge; perhaps from English dialect sham "shame", alteration of English shame.
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COMMENTS:
BEWARE! Bogus science and magnetic insoles..... Lookee here:
http://www.quackwatch.org/ - metrohumanx, 2009-01-30: 01:09:00
I thrive on rejection and encourage feedback. - metrohumanx, 2009-01-30: 01:29:00
Eco products are certainly de rigueur at the moment. I suspect many of them are the identical products but just re-labeled. - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:34:00
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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
Seinsteinfeld
Created by: GlobalGallery
Pronunciation: sine-stine-feld
Sentence: It's gonna be a hit I tell ya. It's a sitcom, set in New York, and it's all about this wacky bunch of friends who are really into theoretical physics.
Etymology: 1.Seinfeld - A popular TV comedy set in New York City starring Jerry Seinfeld. 2.Einstein - German born Nobel prize winning physicist who formulated the theory of relativity.
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COMMENTS:
fantastic - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:16:00
What a combination! Einstein and Seinfeld! - silveryaspen, 2009-01-30: 15:45:00
Great, a show about nothing...0 = MC2, what a Quantum Leap Year! - Nosila, 2009-01-30: 17:49:00
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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)
Desciencetize
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: de-SCI-ehns-eh-tize
Sentence: Albert was a bit of a dunce where science is concerned but he had a gift for gab so by using a smattering of actual knowledge, sprinkling in an abundance of gibberish and doubletalk he could desciencetize just about any kind of medical or scientific information.
Etymology: A play on the word 'desensitize'
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COMMENTS:
BRAVO! Down with pseudoscience! - metrohumanx, 2009-01-30: 00:33:00
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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;
Disneyse
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: diz neeeeeez
Sentence: He suffered from a wasting Disnease a condition where the evil, dark, shark-like thingies lock the good cells up in the spleen after a sleepover party for polly platelets first trip around the arteries went horribly wrong.
Etymology: Disease, Disney
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COMMENTS:
excellent - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:15:00
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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.
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