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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

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.

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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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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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)

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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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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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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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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)

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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!

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COMMENTS:

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

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Ecologyp

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: ee-kol-o-jip

Sentence: Amanda was the suprise hit of the bio-kegger when she entered the wet tee shirt contest wearing her new ecofriendly, organically recycled Kleenex t-shirt she purchased through the Ecologyp company.

Etymology: ecology -- the study of the relationship of organisms and the environment. gyp-- to swindle

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COMMENTS:

Great Create! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-20: 09:57:00

Funny! It rolls right off the tongue! - chaiandallthatjazz, 2009-03-23: 16:01:00

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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

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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