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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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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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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

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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

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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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Wherehead

Created by: mplsbohemian

Pronunciation: HWEHR-hehd

Sentence: I whereheaded about until I saw the keys, at which point I remember that I was looking for them in the first place.

Etymology: where + [air]head

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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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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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Resclueless

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: res kloo less

Sentence: Les often forgot what he was looking for even as he was hunting it. He was resclueless. He even forgot to look for his girlfriend Ruth when she ran off with the paper boy. He still searches Ruthlessly for her...or something.

Etymology: Rescue (recover, retrieve) & Clueless (not having even a clue from which to infer what is occurring;having forgotten all)

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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)

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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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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)

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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