Vote for the best verboticism.

'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.

Create | Read

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.

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

| Comments and Points

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)

| Comments and Points

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)

| Comments and Points

Scamwow

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: skæmwaʊ

Sentence: The late-night pitchman made the knockoff absorbent towel sound like the answer to almost all of Jerry's "being-green" concerns. He would never need to buy paper towels again saving hundreds of trees. He could scrub surfaces clean without using cleaning chemicals. It turned out to be a scamwow moment when he read the disclaimers on the packaging and found out that the warranty was limited to occasional use only (once a month) and that it was made from the hides of several endangered species.

Etymology: scam (a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme) + Shamwow (brand of absorbent towel sold via infomercial)

| Comments and Points

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

----------------------------
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

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

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)

| Comments and Points

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)

| Comments and Points

Fakeology

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: fayk ol ojee

Sentence: Joule and her husband Kilo Watt had always tried to be a "green" couple. When he brought home the really energy efficient lights that last forever, they did not realize that you could not see well enough to read. Whewn they bought low-octane fuel, it took them twice as long to get anywhere in their car and they used up three times the fuel to get their in the first place. Yep, this fakeology was not really working for them...

Etymology: Fake (Phony, not real, pretend)& Ecology (environmental relationships)

| Comments and Points

Bozone

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: bo zone

Sentence: Manny's invention of unlights was a typical example of a bozone...something which had good intentions, butr failed to meet needs.

Etymology: Bozo (clown name, foolish person) & Ozone (the action of ultraviolet radiation on oxygen in the stratosphere (where it acts as a screen for ultraviolet radiation, which is being eroded by greenhouse affect)

| Comments and Points

Envirobeedunkabunkistic

Created by: abrakadeborah

Pronunciation: In-viro-roe-be-dunk-ay-bunk-ist-ik

Sentence: Mr. Western Savealot was all about buying "Envirobeedunkabunkistic" products in order to preserve the planet and energy in his home and save money. However his wife Mrs. Ecofriendly Savealot was becoming less than interested because all of his useless purchases online the Greenskunk site...they never ever worked properly. He told his wife,"well Honey, just wait until tomorrow because I have some new solar rechargeable batteries that have been laying out in the sun charging today that I just bought that will work even brighter in our new bamboo and putty and paperclip Gilligan lantern." Needless to say...Mrs. Ecofriendly Savealot rolled her eyes and was unimpressed.

Etymology: Enviro;Taken from environmental. Be; As in it is. Dunk; To plunk down. Bunk; Bull crap Ist;As in the most like. Ic; As in this is useless CRAP!

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

petaj what a mouthful - petaj, 2009-03-23: 05:01:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Show All or More...

 

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