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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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Unfounder

Created by: Discoveria

Pronunciation: Un-fownd-dur

Sentence: Tom had been searching for his car keys for hours when suddenly he unfoundered; his mind blanked and he couldn't remember what he needed to do.

Etymology: Unfound + founder. Founder: to stumble, fail, collapse etc.

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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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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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Displaceia

Created by: EffingCharms

Pronunciation: dis -place- ee- ahh

Sentence:

Etymology:

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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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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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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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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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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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Disfolocate

Created by: catgrin

Pronunciation: dis-foh-loh-keht

Sentence: While hunting for his keys, Bob disfolocated and grabbed his jacket instead.

Etymology: dis=bad, fo=first syllable of "forget" and "focus" (pronounced as in "focus"), locate

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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