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'Instead of replacing our old light bulbs...'

DEFINITION: n. An environmentally friendly program or product which does not live up to expectations. v. To try to save the planet by buying something green only to find out that it's just a load of bunk.

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Verboticisms

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Scamwow

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: skamwou

Sentence: Ed's exuberant concern for our planet makes him vulnerable to every scamwow eco-friendly product from every eco-huckster he comes into contact with. His closet contains a plethora of not-so-useful gadgets. Some of them should receive prizes for their inventiveness (if you could find the flimflam artist who sold it). Top prize might go to the product that is supposed to reduce or remove your "carbon footprint". It's a flipflop with sandpaper glued to the top.

Etymology: scam (a dishonest scheme; a fraud) + wow (expressing astonishment or admiration)

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Energyp

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: ener-jip

Sentence: Mia wanted to save the planet, but having more zeal than sense, ended up buying every piece of energyp that was advertised on TV.

Etymology: energy + gyp (defraud, cheat or swindle)

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Gaiarbage

Created by: galwaywegian

Pronunciation: guy arb aj

Sentence: The ecologifest had an array of gaiarbage including a lot of AlGorubbish and several inconveniant fruits

Etymology: gaia garbage

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COMMENTS:

Four great verbotomies! Using gaia is brilliant! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-20: 09:49:00

Awesome. Very appropriate word. - kateinkorea, 2009-03-21: 00:35:00

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Ecocentrick

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: ekōsentrik

Sentence: Megacorp announced that they were launching a green initiative. Every employee was issued a recycle bin and with a list of what could and could not be placed in these receptacles. They went so far as to suggest that employees could be fined if caught not following the program. All of this turned out to be an ecocentrick when it was discovered that the new bins were being dumped into the same dumpster as the regular trash.

Etymology: ecocentric (a point of view that recognizes the ecosphere, rather than the biosphere, as central in importance) + trick (a cunning or skillful act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone)

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Geothermalware

petaj

Created by: petaj

Pronunciation: gee-o-therm-MAL-ware

Sentence: Filled with despair at the increasing size of his carbon footprint, Henry was demoralised when her recognized that his brand new, self-contained, domestic power station was in fact geothermalware.

Etymology: geothermal (power sourced from the heat of the earth) + malware (malicious software) + mal (bad) + ware (something bought)

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COMMENTS:

well done! - galwaywegian, 2009-03-20: 06:18:00

Great blending! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-20: 21:11:00

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Agreenafoolic

Created by: missmari

Pronunciation:

Sentence: I tried to recycle my used lightbulbs but it turned out to be an agreenafoolic concept.

Etymology:

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Benefake

RightOnTheWin

Created by: RightOnTheWin

Pronunciation: \ˈbe-nə-ˈfāk\

Sentence: Fredrick recently spent a fortune on remodeling his house to be more “green” for the environment. Everything went well, until the power reserving lamps he had bought, started to burn through the light bulbs like candy. Fredrick realized that most of the remodeling was done on impulse, and he didn’t take into consideration that these environmental friendly appliances could be benefake. Soon, his wife began to notice the problems around the house too; when she sat down to read a book, the newly changed light bulb blew. Fredrick’s wife warned him about overspending without researching first, before he began the remodeling. Fredrick refused to admit that she was right, and insisted that reusing blown bulbs would save power.

Etymology: Benefit (Something that promotes well-being) + fake (Something that is not what it purports to be)

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Greenfrauducts

Created by: splendiction

Pronunciation: green fraud ucts

Sentence: Cleaners and other products claiming to be eco-friendly because they are clear may actually be greenfrauducts. These fraudulently-eco-friendly products cost more, but may contribute the same chemicals to the water supply and earth as regular products. Another type of greenfrauduct marketed to unthinking consumers are the group of products that are already organic: such as “organic” fruits and vegetables - aren’t they organic just as they are? “Organic” needs definition as “grown without chemicals or pesticides” to avoid promotion of greenfrauducts.

Etymology: From green products and fraud. Greenfrauducts are a group of products that are marketed as earth-friendly but which are either not such or are already earth-friendly.

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COMMENTS:

Agreed! Excellent verbotomy! Easy to remember and the meaning is so readily apparent! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-22: 16:27:00

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Sneakosystem

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: sneek o sis tem

Sentence: When Gabby Tat decided to join the green movement, a slick salesman sold him an expensive earthworm farm, complete with millions of the wiggly creatures, to help renew the earth and rid the soil of impurities. Gabby bragged about his "farm"...which was in his urban backyard. A few days after he "planted" his livestock, he went out on a rainy day to check on the "herd". To his surprise, when he turned over the soil, he could find no worms. He then figured he'd bought a sneakosystem. Hundreds of robins had decided to visit his backyard and now he knew why!

Etymology: Sneak (someone who prowls or sneaks about; usually with unlawful intentions;make off with belongings of others) & Ecosystem (a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment)

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Misgreened

Korinne

Created by: Korinne

Pronunciation:

Sentence: Clearly, I was misgreened when they said spiral energy saving bulbs would provide warm mood lighting for my dinner date.

Etymology: misled, misguided

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-03-20: 00:01:01
Today's definition was suggested by readerwriter. Thank you readerwriter. ~ James

silveryaspen - 2009-03-23: 15:06:00
Your great definition, readerwriter, and your clever cartoon, James sure inspired a spate of great creates!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-03-24: 11:55:00
I thought I had bright idea, but it was bit dark... ~ James

silveryaspen - 2009-03-24: 16:28:00
I thought your clever use of color and shading to express darkness visually in your cartoon was brilliant! I know that's an oxymoron, but I couldn't figure out another way to say it!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-10-04: 00:42:00
Today's definition was suggested by readerwriter. Thank you readerwriter. ~ James