Vote for the best verboticism.

'Who's the lucky lady?'

DEFINITION: v. To be unable to remember the name of a person you are speaking to, even though you've had a long-standing, and perhaps even an intimate relationship. n. An inability to remember a person's name.

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.

Nomit

Created by: Stevenson0

Pronunciation: an/uh/nim

Sentence: On a regular basis, John nomits who he is with and just calls them 'Buddy' and 'Babe'.

Etymology: nom (name) + omit

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

Uncomplicated but oh so powerful! Excellent creation! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 09:50:00

In the running for highest quality-to-length ratio for the whole site! - ErWenn, 2008-03-04: 09:59:00

I agree, Erwenn! Well put! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 19:01:00

Stevenson, every time I think of nomit, I think of gnome ... how in the world did you keep from making your sentence about gnomes? I've felt compelled all day to say your word (not sentence) has such a mythical and magical ambiance! So I finally said it! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 19:04:00

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

| Comments and Points

Chumnundrum

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: chum-NUN-drum

Sentence: When Bob couldn't remember the names of his five former partners and his ten children, his friends asked whether he was suffering from palzheimers, or was this chumnundrum just a last-hitch attempt to avoid palimony

Etymology: Blend of CHUM: mate, cobber,buddy & NUNDRUM of Conundrum: riddle, enigma. Alternative etymology: Chum: close friend; nun: none, not any & Drum: the facts, info.

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

Terrific word. Very orignal etymology and that isn't easy with this definition! - silveryaspen, 2008-12-29: 10:16:00

love it - Jabberwocky, 2008-12-29: 15:23:00

Love it and palzheimers, too! What was the definition again?? - Nosila, 2008-12-29: 18:49:00

metrohumanx A#1 - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:11:00

This is clever....parumpachumdum. - mweinmann, 2008-12-30: 09:01:00

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

| Comments and Points

Skiptag

Created by: silveryaspen

Pronunciation: skip tag

Sentence: Skiptag is the game my brain plays on me when it hides a name so well, I can't find it. The worst skiptag experience I ever had was when I tried word association to remember the name Peter and called him Dick. Word association doesn't help skiptag! It only makes it more embarassing!

Etymology: Skipping - MISSING. Tag - NAME.

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

been there - done that - Jabberwocky, 2008-12-29: 15:24:00

metrohumanx Ooooh- quite ultramodern. Good one! - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:15:00

hahahaha, how embarrasing!! - mweinmann, 2008-12-30: 08:59:00

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

| Comments and Points

Whodonym

Created by: Tigger

Pronunciation: /hoo-do-nim/

Sentence: Jason always called his fiancee by pet names, such as "Sweetheart" or "Honey," and although her name was actually 'Mary Louise' all her friends just called her "Lou". So when he introduced her to his cousin before the wedding, he got a case of 'brain lock' and all he could think of were whodonyms. Then, at the chapel, when the priest asked, "Do you take Mary Louise to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Jason's nervous first response was to ask, "Who?". It was beginning to look like the honeymoon wasn't going to be as pleasant and relaxing as he'd hoped.

Etymology: Who - what person? (from Old English, hwā "who") + pseudonym - a fictitious or pen name (from Greek, pseudonymos "having a false name")

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

I'll be using "brain lock" ... great pairing! A Whodlum hopes everyone, especially the cops, have brain lock and whodonyms? Innovative! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 19:11:00

Very creative: a real word! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-04: 20:01:00

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

| Comments and Points

Whoblank

Created by: Biscotti

Pronunciation: hoo-blank

Sentence: He was suffering from whoblank when he called his fiance by the wrong name the other day...how embarassing!

Etymology: who + blank (draw a blank as to who it is)

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

Perhaps Dr. Who or the Hoos put a forgetful spell on him! After his who blank he really needs some good-luck charm! Fantastic creation! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 10:28:00

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

| Comments and Points

Palzheimers

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: palsz-HI-merz

Sentence: When Bob couldn't remember the names of his five former partners and his ten children, the judge wondered whether he was suffering from palzheimers, or that his namewashing was just a last-hitch attempt to avoid palimony.

Etymology: Blend of PAL: close friend, confidante etc & ALZHEIMERS: Used in the familiar and jocular sense for memory loss.

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

Ach! You beat me to the Alzheimer's! (so to speak!)Well done, love your word. - Jamagra, 2008-03-04: 08:54:00

Good word. Kind of a sad idea, though. - ErWenn, 2008-03-04: 09:56:00

The opposite of palzheimers might be wisenheimers! Palzheimers might be a form of palsy of the brain! Your word is so evocative of so much! Stunningly great! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 10:20:00

a classic!! - galwaywegian, 2008-03-04: 12:11:00

excellent Ozzie - Jabberwocky, 2008-03-04: 13:03:00

Sweet! - purpleartichokes, 2008-03-04: 18:16:00

Unforgettable word, Bob! - Tigger, 2008-03-04: 18:34:00

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

| Comments and Points

Babylabeler

picabomama

Created by: picabomama

Pronunciation: baby/label/er

Sentence: Aaron sounded fatherly and protective, but his wife knew that all the "honey", "sweetheart" & "baby" talk was really just a cover for his profound inability to remember a woman's name. He was a compulsive babylabeler.

Etymology: Baby- the most common name replacer + label

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

I tried to come up with something along these lines, but buddyize, honeyify, and palform just don't roll off the tongue as well as babylabel. - ErWenn, 2008-03-04: 09:57:00

Wow! Sentence captures how annoying and offensive babylabelers are! Your word captures that feeling of being talked down to! Very apt creation! Simple but packs a wallop! Great create! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 10:15:00

Very true. Terms like mate, cobber, digger are often godsends for me! Unfortunately, Women's Lib has stamped out the use of luv, darl, etc. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-04: 19:38:00

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

| Comments and Points

Memoromission

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: mem - or - oh - miss - shun

Sentence: Plagued with a poor memory for names, Gilbert would often experience memoromission when encountering acquaintances.

Etymology: Mix of Memory and Omission

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

Delightful mmmmmmm mmmmmm good alliteration! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 10:01:00

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

| Comments and Points

Namenesic

Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: nam/eh/nee/sic

Sentence: Boy was namenesic since birth, probably because his parents had a hard time remembering his name. He finally decided to call every woman doll and every man, man.

Etymology: name + amnesic

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

I was sure someone would beat me to this one. Grr, I'll get you next time, Jabberwocky! - ErWenn, 2008-03-04: 09:58:00

Easy does it ... most of the time! Simplicity is always appealing! Nice one! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 10:10:00

Schmidt's " A Medical Word Finder" gives 'Lethonomia' as inability to recognize names and ' Anomia' as loss of ability to recognize names; I like your word better. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-04: 19:44:00

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

| Comments and Points

Namenesia

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: nāmnēzhə

Sentence: Tom’s greatest fear before the class reunion was that he wouldn\'t be able to remember names of his former best friends. To avoid this he got out his yearbook and studied for weeks prior to the event. He was proud of himself, popping out names like he was still in school. Namenesia didn’t set in until he tried to introduce his wife.

Etymology: name (a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to) + amnesia (a partial or total loss of memory)

| Comments and Points

Show All or More...

 

Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-03-04: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by silveryaspen. Thank you silveryaspen. ~ James

silveryaspen - 2008-03-04: 17:07:00
Your great word associations and creations made my day, everyone. It is a pleasure to have these mind associations with all of you every day! Isn't this website like sunshine for the mind? !!! Everyone contributes some rays! Everyone goes away warmed by some rays!

silveryaspen - 2008-03-04: 17:08:00
Good job with the defninition and cartoon. Thank you, James.

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-03-04: 23:46:00
Thank you Silveryaspen for the inspiring words! ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-05-13: 00:04:00
Today's definition was suggested by silveryaspen. Thank you silveryaspen. ~ James