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'What was I looking for?'

DEFINITION: n. A condition where you get so distracted by the fact that you can't find something, that you forget what you were looking for. v. To forget what you are looking for while you are looking for it.

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Verboticisms

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Flashblank

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: FLASH-blanc

Sentence: As has been happening all too often lately Delbert's mind was wandering while he was looking for his car keys and he had another flashblank, his mind going totally devoid of thought and leaving him completely unable to concentrate.

Etymology: Blend of 'flash' and 'blank'....play on the word flashback

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Absentfindedness

Created by: splendiction

Pronunciation: AB sent find ed NESS

Sentence: Able tore around the apartment, digging through gobs of stuff to find many things he forgot he had. Unfortunately, his absentfindedness prevented him from actually remembering what he was looking for. Perhaps Able found it after all that finding!

Etymology: I forgot... (Uh, a twist together of absentmindedness and find).

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COMMENTS:

Good word...amazing how many people are afflicted with this disease...not me, at least I don't remember having it! - Nosila, 2009-10-01: 20:19:00

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Dejalose

Created by: Mobelia

Pronunciation: Day-Jah-LooZ

Sentence: When wandering around with dejalose, you often have to stop looking in order to trigger recall of what you are looking for.

Etymology: from Deja Vous french for "all over again" and lose as in misplace from Lose -

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Itemnesia

Created by: Alchemist

Pronunciation: eye-tem-NEES-yah

Sentence: After 20 minutes of frantically searching through her Prius, Sharon paused, stricken with itemnesia. Now WHAT was she looking for?

Etymology: item + amnesia

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Tweekpeek

Created by: Sed8ed

Pronunciation: tw'eek p'eek

Sentence: So irritated at his inability to locate his wallet, John found himself throwing things about the room while tweekpeeking under everything.

Etymology:

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Stumblesearch

Created by: Maureen

Pronunciation: stum-ble-ser-ch

Sentence: John's gone for another one of his stumblesearches and he'll soon be asking us what it was he was looking for.

Etymology: stumble- from stumbling block when one draws a blank. search - to look for something.

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Seekersblock

Created by: Bulletchewer

Pronunciation: sikh-errs-blok

Sentence: He knew it would be in the last place he looked, but his seekersblock proved something of an obstacle.

Etymology: From "writer's block" and "seek". Always wonder whether you're allowed 2 separate words, because "seeker's block" would be better here.

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Helterseeker

Created by: toadstool57

Pronunciation: hell-tor-sEk-or

Sentence: Jill's search for her keys turned into a helterseeker. She forgot that she is seeking her keys when she stumbled onto a shoe she lost 2 months ago.

Etymology: helter skelter/seek

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Damnesia

Created by: lauramy

Pronunciation: dam-nee-zhuh

Sentence: When you forget what you forgot it might be senility but it's probably just a case of damnesia.

Etymology: damn + amnesia

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COMMENTS:

lol... i get this all the time. - Sketchy, 2007-03-15: 16:46:00

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Spacequesting

Created by: jedijawa

Pronunciation: space-quest-ing

Sentence: John had been looking for his keys for so long that he was now spacequesting as he looked right at them without realizing he had found them.

Etymology: space (to be spaced-out as in distracted) + questing (to be searching for something)

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-03-15: 00:12:18
Today's definition was suggested by mana1066.
Thank you mana1066! ~ James

erasmus erasmus - 2007-03-15: 12:25:00
I do believe in the UK the DJ on Radio 2 called Terry Wogan calls this a senior moment but thats two words.

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-03-15: 20:02:00
Funny thing is that it's been happening to me since I was a kid... Do think it's going to get worse as I get older?

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-10-01: 00:12:00
Today's definition was suggested by mana1066. Thank you mana1066. ~ James