Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To obsess over, and fantasize about electronic gadgets even though you can never figure out how they actually work. n. A beautiful but useless gadget.
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.
Gorgauseless
Created by: weareallbeautiful
Pronunciation: g-or-j-uh-u-s-l-eh-ss
Sentence: Bob stared at the gorgauseless blue object in his hand wondering how it worked when Abby walked by and said "Put my paperweight down Bob!"
Etymology: gorgeous+useless
Wowidget
Created by: LonePaladin
Pronunciation: wou-wij-it
Sentence: 1. It's always fun to watch Phillip wowidget over the latest cell phones. 2. Just about everything sold at Sharper Image is a wowidget; nice to look at, but do you really need it?
Etymology: 1. Wow + 'idjit' (slang for idiot) 2. Wow + widget
Technimpotence
Created by: evan
Pronunciation: [tek-nim-puh-tuhns]
Sentence: My father is so technimpotent, he spent over 900 dollars on a brand new DSLR camera, but doesn't know how to put the pictures on his computer!
Etymology: Technology + Impotence. Word 'impotence' chosen due to its lustful inference while properly demonstrating a lack of performance capability with regard to Technology.
Wowidget
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: wouwijit
Sentence: Wendell spends much of his spare time in the wowidget store admiring the newest **gotta haves**. The fact that he doesn*t understand them does little to suppress his awe. He does understand that his vocabulary is being truncated by people who don*t have time for all those pesky syllables. He used to buy applications. Now they are just apps. He used to use a telephone. Now it is just a phone (soon to be a pho or fo?) He also knows that he is quickly running out of mon(ey).
Etymology: wow (expressing astonishment or admiration) + widget (a small gadget or device, esp. one whose name is unknown or unspecified)
Electrowidget
Created by: texmom
Pronunciation: e lect o wid jet
Sentence: He bought the $600 red electrowidget as a gift for himself on Father's Day even though he had no clue what it was.
Etymology: electro - run by electricity widget - something non-understandable but useful.
Bombtronic
Created by: mweinmann
Pronunciation: bom - tron - ik
Sentence: Bernice's new bombtronic device failed miserably as a phone or as a browser either. It looked cool, sounded cool but she could not make or receive phone calls or navigate to any web sites. None of the games that came on it worked well either. She just liked to carry it around, show it off and hear all the cool ring tones.
Etymology: bomb (to fail, blow up), electronic
Incretoolity
Created by: porsche
Pronunciation: in/creh/tul/itee
Sentence: he couldn't disguise his incretoolity when he walked down the aisles at Home Depot.
Etymology: incredulity + tool
Whatchamadooz
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /ˌʍʌtʃəməˈduz/
Sentence: My new vacuum cleaner comes with all sorts of whatchamadoozes and wherchamattachits, but the instruction manual only has very ambiguous pictures.
Etymology: From "What does it do?" in the same way that "whatchamacallit" comes from "What do you call it?"
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COMMENTS:
I think that the ambiguous, uncaptioned picture-instructions included with some whatchamadoozes would make a good verboticism. - ErWenn, 2007-06-04: 02:33:00
OK, just to be fair I'm waiting until later today to vote, but rest assured: you've got my vote. One of 'em, anyway. - Clayton, 2007-06-04: 06:27:00
Thanks both for voting and for waiting! - ErWenn, 2007-06-04: 12:08:00
I think they call those drawings Picasholes. I've used one to try to assemble what looked like a simple filing cabinet. Five months, and five friends later, it's almost together! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-04: 15:29:00
Done and done. - Clayton, 2007-06-04: 21:41:00
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Implemenigma
Created by: Clayton
Pronunciation: IM-pluh-muh-NIG-muh
Sentence: Julie must've tangled with the ecclesiastical implications of her newfound implemenigma for at least half an hour before realizing it was just a fancy-schmancy garage door opener.
Etymology: implement + enigma
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COMMENTS:
I don't think you have an appropriate appreciation for garage door openers. They are the first form of high penetration consumer electronic wireless door locking system. It's not often people trust their Buicks and belt-sanders to robots. Still, great word. - jadenguy, 2007-06-04: 11:01:00
This word makes me sound smart! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-04: 13:29:00
Garage door openers are nature's woodchuck drawbridge mechanisms. - Clayton, 2007-06-04: 21:40:00
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Whatchamacovet
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: wha-tcha-ma-cov-it
Sentence: Jim watchamacoveted the new marvelous toy that his neighbor's son got for Christmas. "A wonder to behold, it was, with many colors bright. And the moment he laid eyes on it, it became his heart's delight. It went 'zip' when it moved and 'bop' when it stopped and 'whirr' when it stood still. He never knew just what it was, and I guess he never will".
Etymology: whatchamacallit: something whose name is unknown or forgotten; a widget, gadget, gizmo, doodad, thingamajig or doohickey + covet: blameworthy desire for another's stuff; wish for longingly. "The Marvelous Toy" (apologies to Tom Paxton)was a song sung by Peter, Paul and Mary (RIP) about a mystical toy, handed down from father to son, that had no name, no purpose, but seemed to have magical powers to amuse and delight the recipient.
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COMMENTS:
Good blend...I remember that old song! - Nosila, 2009-12-30: 01:53:00
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Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by shutz. Thank you shutz! ~ James
Read about Jabberwocky's Garden of Verbal Delights in Verbotoweek.
pronunciation: uh-GOG-uh-tek........... sentence:Poor old Ira Gobler was AGOGATECH at his designer's latest device.He was so AGOGATECH that he let the factory's flaccid finances flow into a virtual vat of vapors while he thoughtfully tinkered and tweaked the tin toys and gamboled among the gizmoes generated just beyond the grounded iron gates of the fabrication facility...Someday...he would write an operator's manual...................... etymology: Agog+at+Technology=aGOGatech!
Sometimes my "comments" seem to appear in the wrong places....if only some clever soul would invent a GIZBO to prevent that.
....my brain hurts.....
Today's definition was suggested by shutz. Thank you shutz. ~ James