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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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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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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)

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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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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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Disconcentracted

Created by: galwaywegian

Pronunciation: diss kon sent rack ted

Sentence: He was so disconcentracted that not only did he forget his mission, it took him four hours to remember that he had forgotten it.

Etymology: concentrated, distracted

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Fourofourgot

Created by: purpleartichokes

Pronunciation: for-oh-four-got

Sentence: Because she suffered from mysplasia, Sue fourofourgot that she was looking for her keys and walked out to her car, content in the fact that she had found the remote.

Etymology: 404 - error message "Not Found"; forgot (literally, to not find, then forget)

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COMMENTS:

I can imagine people of the future using this word... - Discoveria, 2007-03-15: 10:11:00

Speaking of people, I wonder why so many players are 404'd lately. Hope they weren't verbducted to another room. - purpleartichokes, 2007-03-15: 11:46:00

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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

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COMMENTS:

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

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Wanderlost

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: won-der-lost

Sentence: Kev almost always has trouble keeping track of his things. Whatever he has in his hands when he gets home gets dropped somewhere. He then gets to play hide and seek finding them again. Sometimes he spends so much time hunting that he forgets what ha was looking for. He gets completely wanderlost.

Etymology: wander (to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray) + lost (having gone astray or missed the way) play on wanderlust (a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about)

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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