Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n., An ugly decorative item or article of clothing received from friends or relatives, which is kept stored away but ready to be pulled out at a moment's notice in anticipation of a return visit. v., To temporarily place an old, and perhaps unattractive gift in a place of honor.
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.
Whitelephantasmagoria
Created by: karenanne
Pronunciation: whyt EL eh fan TAZ ma GOR ee ah
Sentence: Over the holidays, my house becomes a whitelephantasmagoria of sorts, as I rotate in and out the succession of useless and hideous items given to me over the years by various relatives. I have to keep a calendar of who is coming when, so that the correct one is on display on the correct day. God forbid I put out the horrid quilt made for my grandchildren by their grandmother, my EX-mother-in-law, when my CURRENT mother-in-law visits. She has an uncanny sense for such things.
Etymology: white elephant + phantasmagoria (a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined; a series or group of strange or bizarre images seen as if in a dream)
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COMMENTS:
Whitelephantasmagoria are kept in a special trunk...good word - Nosila, 2009-12-16: 22:15:00
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Shufflegift
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: SHUF + l + gift
Sentence: Thurman had perfected the art of shufflegift by keeping hideous shirts and other clothing items in the laundry hamper and decorating an ugly lamp as a coat hanger.
Etymology: Shuffle = to move around from place to place + gift.
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COMMENTS:
like it - Jabberwocky, 2007-12-12: 13:23:00
Very clever! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-12-12: 20:03:00
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Displayaway
Created by: purpleartichokes
Pronunciation: dis-play-ah-way
Sentence: Every year, Mom gives me a displayaway or closet deposit for Christmas, which is why my good clothes and trinkets are now stacked throughout my bedroom.
Etymology: display, away
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COMMENTS:
Quite clever. Good one. - Tigger, 2007-12-16: 16:36:00
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Interimantlepiece
Created by: hendrixius
Pronunciation: /in-tur-ruh-man-tull-pees/
Sentence: John reluctantly displayed the interimantlepiece over the couch in the family room, despite the fact that a singing bass did not exactly match the room's decor.
Etymology: "interim" and "mantle-piece"
Prezzidigitate
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: PREZZ-ee-DIJ-ee-TATE
Sentence: Bob had just put away the kitschsake toaster-clock his mother had given him many years before, when he heard the news that his mother-in-law was on her way over to his place. Quickly, and in order not to offend her, he rummaged through an old trunk in his garage to find the indoor sundial she had given him as a birthday present. Fortunately for him, with good luck and a dash of good memory, he found it and prezzidigitated it, as a dragonsop, into a place of prominence and importance for her to see.
Etymology: Blend of PREZZI: (slang for present, gift.) & PRESTIDIGITATE: to be manually dexterios in the execution of tricks ; sleight of hand. KITSCHSAKE: Conflation of KITSCH(from German)meaning: gaudy, trashy objects or items and (OE) SAKE, as in "keepsake", meaning an item kept for the sake of the giver. DRAGONSOP: DRAGON-Slang term for mother-in-law or wife; SOP: Anything given (or done)to pacify; -- so called from the sop given to Cerberus, as related in mythology.
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COMMENTS:
Works like magic for me! - silveryaspen, 2008-12-16: 22:36:00
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Beastowal
Created by: robohamster
Pronunciation: Beast-owal
Sentence: My aunt beastowed this moose sweater on me last Christmas.
Etymology:
Blostatize
Created by: andrian
Pronunciation: blos-ta-tiz
Sentence: The man in the picture is blostatizing a toilet scrubber.
Etymology: This is the verb form. The noun is blostate.
Gifthoarse
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: gift hors
Sentence: It had become a tradition at Christmas as much as decorating the tree and putting up lights. It meant Mother was coming to stay for the holidays and although we loved her dearly and looked forward to seeing her, we had to dig out that painting she had given us many years ago and hang it over the fireplace. It stayed the rest of the yhear in the attic. That's because it was painted on black velvet, with glow-in-the-dark paints, framed inside a gaudy rococco gilt frame. Yes, being his #1 fan, Mother had bought us a portrait of Elvis. Wearing a white jumpsuit, sneering into the microphone in his hand and tilting his pelvis our way! You could push a button at the bottom of the frame and tinny music of him singing would belt out. Our friends who visited over the years hooted and hollered at the tacky image. Neighbours would make the pilgrimmage each year to see The King. He was a gifthoarse that made people laugh and sing along. We always said we would pull him out for Mother's visit, so as not to hurt her feelings, but one of these years old age would overtake her and we would no longer be obligated to carry on the charade. It was then that we realized that the song he sang from the portrait, "I'll have a Blue Christmas without you" would become very poignant to us.
Etymology: gift (a present, something given) & hoarse (deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion) & old saying: "Never look a gift horse in the mouth" old proverb which means don't question how you acquired something or what it cost. The advice given is be grateful for your good fortune and don't look for more by examining it to assess its value.
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COMMENTS:
Awwww. How moving. Nice work, Lady. - metrohumanx, 2008-12-16: 02:40:00
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Gewgawdawful
Created by: kabloozie
Pronunciation: goo gahd ah full
Sentence: Damn it...where did I put that gewgawdawful your mother gave us - she's coming over in 15 minutes, and if I don't have that ceramic poodle out on the mantle, she'll know we hate it...
Etymology: gewgaw - a gimcrack or worthless bauble + god-awful
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COMMENTS:
Clever and interesting! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-12-12: 20:07:00
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Regravermess
Created by: silveryaspen
Pronunciation: regravermess: re - grave - her - mess
Sentence: Everytime my mother-in-law visited, I couldn't wait for her to leave so I could again hide away the last regravermess she gave me!
Etymology: regravermess: re for resurrect ... grav for resurrect from the grave ... er is short for her ... mess for mess
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by kabloozie Thank you kabloozie ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by kabloozie. Thank you kabloozie. ~ James