Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n., Cautionary advice provided by parents to their children, often makes no logical sense but carries enough emotional weight to affect the child's behavior. v. To warn of danger through the judicious use of exaggeration.
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.
Madvice
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: mad/vice
Sentence: Yeah he was at it again. Dad, flappin' his chops about how he "had to walk a mile to school in the snow," "shine shoes for lunch money" and "wear grandpa's suit jacket to his 8th grade graduation." Patrick learned to tune both Dad AND Mom out the day he realized they were offering nothing but useless madvice once they started digging into their, "WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE" files.
Etymology: mad + advice. Parents short fuse when it comes to their "spoiled brats" whining...
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Amen...but of course we do the same things to our own kids...When I was in school, talk about computers was pure science fiction...why they had barely invented tv's or phones that weren't party lines! Cheers,lumina - Nosila, 2008-08-29: 20:08:00
----------------------------
Animaliplify
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: an eemal plee fye
Sentence: Henrietta Capon had a lesson for her son, Alfonso, the heir to the Capon di Tutti Capon title. She tried to animalipify that if he made a wrong decision, without his consigliere, he would suffer the consequences. Without a peep or a chirp he would find himself the victim of fowl play. With his weapon cocked, he was a poultry excuse for his roost hero, Gary Cooper. Eggsistentialism eluded him, he became a Friar, gave and tried to pullet into a chickmonaskstery...without being hendered. The cluck stops here...
Etymology: Animal (creature;a living organism characterized by voluntary movement) ^ Amplify (exaggerate or make bigger; to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth)
Emochide
Created by: AlohaJo
Pronunciation: E-mo-ch-I-de
Sentence: The boy, after disobeying his father's warning, had to sit through a lengthy emochide.
Etymology: emotional+ chide
Radmomition
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: rad MOM ish in
Sentence: Growing up in an Irish household,the 6 siblings were all raised on a solid diet of good old radmomition. This included an assorted mix of superstitions (spilling salt requires you to throw some over your left shoulder), Aesop's fables(remember that grasshopper and the ant?), lessons from the Bible(Thou shalt not lie about who ate the baking out of the freezer) and old wives' tales(if you tell a lie, your nose will grow), guaranteed to scare even the toughest know-it-all kid into submission. It was never really understood how putting a hat on the bed or opening an umbrella indoors would bring about bad luck; how stepping on a crack could break your mother's back or how licking a frosty metal fence would make your tongue stick to it. (Okay, that on was really true, as one brother found out the hard way)! Yet all these tools were used by their mother to great effectiveness. People marvelled at how well-behaved 6 kids could be out in public. But one look from their Mom's omnipresent eye could nail them to a couch for hours on end, quietly, without a hint of physical persuasion. Santa's elves were watching you just before Christmas time (I mean really, weren't they too busy making toys?); God would be mad to learn you did not put your coins on the offering plate in Church (like does he count it all?)If there was no known adage to affect a situation, she simply would make one up. It was not until they were into their teens that they discovered the Ice Cream Man going around the neighbourhood played his twinkly songs when he still had goodies left to sell. They had always been told that the music was a sign he was sold out. The irony was that all these siblings went through higher education, got responsible jobs and used exactly the same radmomition tactics on their own children and grandchildren...May you be half an hour in Heaven before the Devil knows you're dead!
Etymology: Radical (a person who has out there ideas or opinions;used of opinions and actions far beyond the norm) & Admonition (cautionary advice about something imminent;counsel in terms of someone's behavior;warn strongly; put on guard) & Mom (female parent)& Superstition (an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear;folklore;omens of good and bad luck)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Oh MAN!!!!...You mean the ice cream man WASN'T sold out? - metrohumanx, 2008-08-29: 05:56:00
"Mom's omnipresent eye"....great turn of a phrase, Nosette. :) - metrohumanx, 2008-08-29: 08:11:00
Actual advice from an Alaskan native: Do NOT try to lick the glaciers. - Tigger, 2008-08-29: 10:34:00
Great "sentence!" :) - lumina, 2008-08-29: 15:46:00
----------------------------
Lieperbole
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: līpərbəlē
Sentence: ”If you make a face, it could get stuck that way”, ”Behave because Santa is watching”, ”This is for your own good”. Many parents use lieperbole to keep their children in line.
Etymology: lie (an intentionally false statement) + hyperbole (exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Very nice. For the win, in my opinion. - mchristof, 2011-06-12: 23:50:00
----------------------------
Scoldoltery
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: skohl-DOHLT-uh-ree
Sentence: Bob's attempt to use the story of "The Three Bears" as a lesson of - thou shal not steal- quickly became another sad saga of scoldoltery for his children.
Etymology: Blend of SCOLD: chide, reprimand, reprove; DOLT: a fool, nitwit & ERY: state or condition with a hint of ADULT " parents" & ADULTERY: cheating; emotion; guilt.
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Don't make me count to three!.....one.....twwo...... - metrohumanx, 2008-08-29: 05:58:00
nice - Jabberwocky, 2008-08-29: 11:49:00
----------------------------
Hyperbmonition
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: high-perb-mo--ni-tion
Sentence: Mom could come up with a great hyperbmonition when needed, especially where boys were concerned. As a result of her wise counsel, I haven't worn patent leather shoes since the fourth grade.
Etymology: hyperbole: figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect + monition: cautionary advice or counsel; admonition
Motherfunker
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: muhth/er/fuhngk/er
Sentence: His mom was a motherfunker. Being a motherfunker is a fast, easy way to get the behaviour expected. Unfortunately, when children are brought up with a motherfunker, when they are older, they do not trust anything their mom tells them.
Etymology: MOTHERFUNKER - from MOTHER + FUNK ( to frighten; state of great fright, or terror)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
And I'll bet she was a "bad motherfunker," "Shutcho mouth!" :) - lumina, 2008-08-29: 15:27:00
----------------------------
Badmonition
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: bad-mo-ni-shun
Sentence: Know for her dark predictions, Grandma offered another of her badmonitions when she told us that eating too much candy would stunt our growth.
Etymology: bad + admonition
Scarefication
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: skair-uh-fi-key-shuhn
Sentence: Mother hen believes in the use of scarefication to keep her chicks in line. A little lie here, an exaggeration there, all pecked into their little psyches until they are afraid to do anything wrong.
Etymology: scare (to fill, especially suddenly, with fear or terror; frighten; alarm) Scarification (scratching, etching, burning/branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification)
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James