Vote for the best verboticism.
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.
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.
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)
Scamwow
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)
Unconservashuns
Created by: silveryaspen
Pronunciation: un con serve vay shuns - my way to say cons which serve no good purpose (Oyvay!) deserve shuns
Sentence: To process grains, such as corn, into ethanol, to use as a substitue for the fossil fuel gasoline, takes a great deal of energy. That energy needed to distill it, usually comes from fossil fuels of oil or gas, using more oil or gas, than if you just put gasoline in your vehicle. Ethanol, is not so green, after all. Furthermore, it takes land away from the production of food. This fiasco is so disadvantagous and unproductive, it deserves to bite the dust. Like so many other green products, it saves nothing and is not our salvation. By refusing to purchase and use them, let us make such green flops and duds into unconservashuns.
Etymology: UN - meaning not. CONSERVATION - the word for preserving and protecting before the synonym green became more popular. SHUN - to avoid in every way because it is bad, not good.
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COMMENTS:
My word bothered me all day long ... and after much thought ... I finally fixed it! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-20: 21:22:00
Really good word and I love your sentence. - kateinkorea, 2009-03-21: 00:44:00
I agree - splendiction, 2009-03-21: 16:52:00
Double ditto! Good word and sentence Silveryaspen :) - abrakadeborah, 2009-03-22: 22:45:00
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Ecofarsology
Created by: rombus
Pronunciation: eko fars ahl ogee
Sentence: Brian read about the new movement to save the planet. There were stickers on products that were "touted" as environmentally friendly. Some of them cost more but promised to either last longer or be more friendly to the environment. After using some of these products, Brian was wondering whether it was all a bunch of ecofarsology.
Etymology: Ecological and Farse
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COMMENTS:
Excellent! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-20: 09:49:00
Terrific word. - Mustang, 2009-03-20: 21:34:00
Good word. - kateinkorea, 2009-03-21: 00:39:00
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Conservascam
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: con-ser-VAY-scam
Sentence: Willard had just made the first payment on the water recovery and power saver program he bought from the door to door salesman when he began to realize it was really a conservascam and the worst part was his wife, Wilma, sneering and reminding him she'd tried to steer him away from the slick talking salesman.
Etymology: Blend of conserve and scam, play on the word 'conservation'.
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COMMENTS:
Good word. - kateinkorea, 2009-03-21: 00:41:00
Great word! Like the sentence - splendiction, 2009-03-21: 16:47:00
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Ecocentrick
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)
Misgreened
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
Gaiaaaargh
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: gai aaaaargh
Sentence: He began to doubt the gaiaaaargh theory around the time that he saw Mr. lovelock buying a ticket to the moon.
Etymology: gaia aaaargh
Envirollusion
Created by: BookWorm579
Pronunciation: en-VIE-row-loo-zhun
Sentence: The newest "low-flow" shower head was a blatant envirollusion as it simply stopped the flow of water.
Etymology: Derived from "environmentalism" and "illusion".
Conservascam
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: con-ser-VAY-scam
Sentence: Sherman had just made the first payment on the water recovery and power saver program he bought from the door to door salesman when he began to realize it was really a conservascam and the worst part was his wife, Wilma, sneering and reminding him she'd tried to steer him away from the slick talking salesman.
Etymology: Blend of 'conserve' (save) and 'scam' (con job)
Comments:
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!
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!
Today's definition was suggested by readerwriter. Thank you readerwriter. ~ James