Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n. An idea that pops into your head just before you fall asleep, which is so big and brilliant, or else so dark and scary, that it keeps you awake all night long. v. To lie awake in bed with a head full of big dreams.
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.
Idenia
Created by: chaok
Pronunciation: eye-dee-nee-uh
Sentence: I have to take pills to sleep, otherwise i would have an idenia and lose a night of sleep.
Etymology: idea + insomnia
Drainstorm
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: DRANE-storm
Sentence: Once again Filbert arose from his bed in the morning thoroughly exhausted from another long bout with a monstrous drainstorm....a flood of ideas that kept him awake and left him drained.
Etymology: Blend of the words 'drain' and 'storm' and a play on the word 'brainstorm.
Subcognitans
Created by: darkXshadow
Pronunciation: sub/kog/neet/ans
Sentence: one of my briliant subcognitans kept me up all night last night.
Etymology: sub coming from subito, meaning sudden. cogn coming from cognito, meaning knowledge. itans coming from suscitans, meaning awakening.
Thinksomnia
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: think som neeya
Sentence: Apparently he was too busy or preoccupied to think during his busy day, but Joe Einstein got his best ideas at night just before or after he went to sleep and ended up thinking of all the possibilies/obstructions/refinements to his ideas all night. To the point he could not get to sleep. He had thinksomnia real bad and it was only when he actually committed these ideas to paper while he was "on" that he remembered enough of them in the morning to put them in motion. But this meant turning on a light, writing for hours and keeping his wife Mona awake, too. It was not until he had another bright idea one night that she approved of his nocturnal brilliance. He invented a sleeprecorder and told it all his ideas as he got them, so that he could replay in the morning and capitalize on his great ideas!
Etymology: Think (ideas;imagine;visualize;an instance of deliberate thinking) & Insomnia (an inability to sleep; chronic sleeplessness)
Revigilation
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /ɹəˌvɪdʒəˈleɪʃən/̩
Sentence: Sometimes my revigilations seem truly deep, and sometimes I stay awake at nights wondering if "procrasticap" is funnier than "apathetes' heel".
Etymology: From revelation + vigil
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COMMENTS:
Sounds like supervising exam candidates over and over - that would keep one awake at night too. - petaj, 2007-04-09: 04:48:00
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Ahawake
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: ähäwāk
Sentence: The revelation that Julia had just as she was about to doze off kept her ahawake all night. It only took her 18 years and a chance encounter on Facebook but she now was certain she knew who her real father was and why her mother kept it secret.
Etymology: aha (used to express satisfaction, triumph, or surprise) + awake (not asleep)
Pillowned
Created by: Erikv
Pronunciation: Pill loaned
Sentence: With baggy eyes and a tired mind he knew effects from being pillowned last night would beer with him for the rest of the day.
Etymology: Pillow plus owned
Nocturtrance
Created by: remistram
Pronunciation: nok-ter-trance
Sentence: She kept her blackberry under her pillow on this night so she could record her nocturtrances.
Etymology: nocturnal + trance
Sleepiphany
Created by: libertybelle
Pronunciation: sleep-pip-fan-knee
Sentence: It was clear to me that my husband's sleepiphany was going to be the cause of my insomnia as every time I began to drift off he would bring up another nuance of his idea.
Etymology: sleep + epiphany... not my best work but it's been a while!
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COMMENTS:
love it - Jabberwocky, 2008-06-20: 13:08:00
nice! - TimTheEnchanter, 2008-06-20: 17:11:00
Like it a lot. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-06-21: 19:37:00
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Comments:
Thank you to Dan Pink for sponsoring this week's Right-Brain Verbotomy Contest and creativity prize. ~ James
What happened last week? Read Verbotoweek! A look back at last week's wickedest words and funniest comments... Edited by "Weeklink", one of our top players who from some reason, perhaps self-preservation, prefers to remain anonymous! See: Verbotoweek in the Verbotomy Blog.
Bulletchewer - 2007-04-09: 15:52:00
Wonder if this happened to Thomas Edison. Oh, and in a related piece of propaganda, vote for Wordmeister's "Nightbulb"! PS Great (if slightly embarrassing) blog!
wordmeister - 2007-04-09: 18:04:00
Hey Bulletchewer, Thanks for the vote of support! I guess I managed to skip through my own premonstermare without getting trampled...
Bulletchewer - 2007-04-09: 18:37:00
Just wondering if anyone else is ineligible for this week's contest. Who's up for a Sir Geoffrey?
toadstool57 - 2007-04-09: 21:34:00
James - cool that you spotlighted CFLs.
Thanks toadstool57. We're just trying to create some environmentally friendly ideas. ~ James
OZZIEBOB - 2008-06-21: 19:35:00
Excellent.
Today's definition was suggested by wordmeister. Thank you wordmeister. ~ James