Vote for the best verboticism.

'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.

Create | Read

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.

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

| Comments and Points

Roomnesia

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: roŏmnēzhə

Sentence: Tom has more nesias than you can shake a stick at. There*s roomnesia, where he is working and realizes he needs something to complete his task only to forget what he was going to find when he leaves the room. There is roamnesia, where he forgets what he was working on as soon as he starts to wander in search of something he now can\'t remember. He also shows signs of homenesia, where he forgets where he is going as soon as he leaves the house and Romenesia where he can*t remember his vacation to Italy. Tom figures the final stage will be tombnesia when he can forget everything and get some long-lasting rest.

Etymology: room (a part or division of a building enclosed by walls, floor, and ceiling) + amnesia (a partial or total loss of memory)

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

mrskellyscl I have worknesia, where I get so distracted thinking up a word for Verbotomy that I forget to get ready for work. - mrskellyscl, 2009-10-01: 06:40:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Forgetterer

erasmus

Created by: erasmus

Pronunciation: for get er er

Sentence: Tom was a forgetterer, not only did he forget to pick up his keys, when he went back for them he forgot what he was looking for.

Etymology: from forget and erer means over and over. so forgetting one thing then another then another.

| Comments and Points

Whichhunt

Created by: rikboyee

Pronunciation: which-hunt

Sentence: as he aimlessly entered the kitchen again, he realised he needed to give up this whichhunt.

Etymology: which, hunt, witch hunt

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

excellost! - galwaywegian, 2007-03-15: 06:03:00

This could be rendered as a verb, nice. - mplsbohemian, 2007-03-15: 19:27:00

this works also because, as in a witchhunt, one is actually unlikely to find something when they forget to look for it or won't notice it when they see it - ekath, 2007-03-22: 22:37:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Alzhunter

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: allz-hun-ter

Sentence: Carl was certain that he had early onset of Alzhunter's Disease when he began to forget what it was that he was looking for in the first place; however, while he was hunting it, he found what he was looking for yesterday -- except he couldn't remember why he was looking for it.

Etymology: Alzheimer's Disease: dimentia often beginning with short-term memory loss + hunter: one who searches or seeks for something

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

artr I often find things by looking for something else. - artr, 2009-10-01: 11:06:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Distrocupied

Created by: ziggy41

Pronunciation: (dis-TROC-you-PIED)

Sentence: He was so distrocupied with looking for the remote that after he forgot and walked to the tv to turn it on.

Etymology: "Distract" (to change your attention to something else), and "preoccupy" (engross one's thought into, such as finding something)

| Comments and Points

Memoreverse

Created by: Sketchy

Pronunciation: memo-REE-verse

Sentence: The Doctor said It's a condition called memoreverse...wait, what was I saying again?

Etymology: Memory, Reverse

| Comments and Points

Outoflocus

petaj

Created by: petaj

Pronunciation: out-o-FLOW-cus

Sentence: Conor was so outoflocus that he spent all day retracing his steps trying to remind himself of what he was looking for.

Etymology: out of focus (not focussed) + locus (location)

| Comments and Points

Seekeying

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: see kee ying

Sentence: Al Zymer did it again...he went into the room but forgot what he went in there for. He forgot what he was seekeying. In future he decided he would right it down or make a code of words to relate to what he needed to get. His favourite movie was "Johnny Mnemonic" starring Keyanu Reeves, but since he got that bad bronchial infection, he thought he was actually "Johnny Pneumonic".

Etymology: Seeking (looking for, trying to find or obtain) & Keying (effective; producing a desired effect;a generic term for any device whose possession entitles the holder to a means of access)

| Comments and Points

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

| Comments and Points

Show All or More...

 

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