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.

Stnammer

Created by: bookowl

Pronunciation: stnam/ur

Sentence: A stnammer is a memory impediment that gets worse with age.

Etymology: stammer + name

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

Captures it all! So apt! Stammer was a great choice for it conveys stnammering is a fluctuating, often temporary condition. Intuitively great. Outstanding! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 10:51:00

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

| Comments and Points

Dejawho

Created by: leegro

Pronunciation: /dey-zhah-hoo/

Sentence: As she walked down the aisle of the airplane, Sarah had a sinking feeling of dejawho. Hadn't she once drunkely groped the sweaty man in the aisle seat across from her?

Etymology: From "deja vu," which is French for "I'm not forgetful, I'm just self-absorbed," and "who," which should feel like a familiar word to most of you.

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

What a twist ... a woman groping a man! But the twists in your etymology are even better! Insightfully Clever! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 17:14:00

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

| Comments and Points

Oblivinom

freiflug

Created by: freiflug

Pronunciation: /ə'blɪvɪnom/

Sentence: "Oblivinom is known to men for decades: the inability to remember names of familiar individuals." "Oblivinom should not be confused with oblivinomnom, which expresses itself in not being able to remember what one has eaten for dinner, even though that was just half an hour ago."

Etymology: oblivion: the state of forgetfulness; nomus: Latin for name

| Comments and Points

Forgetphil

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: for get fil

Sentence: When George brought his friend, Phil, home, he was unaware that Phil already "knew" his wife Julia in the Biblical way. But Phil had had so many previous girlfriends that he could not recall Julia. He was forgetphil, like someone who drank too much Milk of Amnesia...

Etymology: Forget (not able to remember) & play on forgetful (not retentive)

| 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

Namenesia

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: naym-NEEZ-ya

Sentence: Filbert could remember the winners of the last 30 world series, last 15 superbowls, and every MLB MVP since 1990 but when it came to instant recall of people's names he had recurring bouts of very severe namenesia.

Etymology: Blend of name and amnesia

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

Good one, what's your name! - Nosila, 2008-12-29: 00:54:00

Puddin' Tame.....acks me agin 'n I'll tell ya thuh same.... - Mustang, 2008-12-29: 03:02:00

metrohumanx ...And I can't even remember "who's on first"! - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:17:00

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

| Comments and Points

Absintheminded

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: as sinth meyen did

Sentence: For over 30 years, once a month, the 6 friends had gotten together for drinks, snacks and an exchange of ideas and gossip, the way friends do. They had talked on every subject over the years, but creeping old age and the stress of daily living combined with copious tippling were starting to take their toll. Of late, their discussions took longer and many's an evening, their witty banter sounded more like: "You remember that actress,who was in some show with 5 friends (I can't remember the name of it), you know the one that used to be married to that guy who ran off with another actress and they had 4 kids ...she's another actor's daughter but they don't get along? You know, her dad was in an Academy award winning picture (I can't quite remember the title, but the music theme is going through my head).He was in it with what's his name who played in that movie about a soap star who had to become a woman to get work? Well, she, the first actress is a daughter of another actor who stars on that soap I used to watch and he was always a villain? You must remember...well, anyway, she just broke up with a guy who acted in that wedding movie with the actor who has a brother who also acts...you know the one I mean. Gosh they lead interesting lives!" Yes, the six grew more absintheminded with every toast. One of these times, they'd have to be hospitalized for anomia! Each night they got together, they performed their own version of "Geriatric Jeopardy". You know that game show hosted by that Canadian guy, Alex What's his name!

Etymology: absinthe (strong, supposedly hallucinogenetic liqueur which suppresses memory)& absent (mental pre-occupation) & minded (mental orientation)

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

The tippling effects in your pronounciation, sentence and word, is so well done I can see it! Tippling, rippling great one! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-04: 09:46:00

Dangit! I got all the way to "Geriatric Jeopardy" before totally cracking up laughing. Did anyone else make it that far? Your story was hysterical (except that it reminds me too much of myself when trying to remember celebrity's names). I love this word!!! - Tigger, 2008-03-04: 19:13:00

Luv your sentence and, especially, "Geriatric Jeopardy" - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-04: 19:34:00

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

| Comments and Points

Nilrecall

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: nil re kawl

Sentence: Joey had nilrecall when it came to people's names. When he eventually married and had twins, the baby boys were known as Thing 1 & Thing 2 to him...

Etymology: Nil (nada, nothing) & Recall (remember)

| Comments and Points

Nomenblanken

Created by: mweinmann

Pronunciation: no - men - blank - n

Sentence: Raymond was great with faces but often forgot people's names. Sometimes he suffered from nomenblanken with people he had known for years. Especially asmusing was his talent for switching first and last names between his coworkers and friends.

Etymology: This is a play on the word nomenculture (a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline; "legal terminology"; "biological nomenclature;A system or arrangement of names) and the word blank (a gap or missing part).

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

metrohumanx Nice! Sounds a bit like Teutonic mythology, too. - metrohumanx, 2008-12-29: 19:13:00

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

| Comments and Points

Innomability

Created by: starwarsgeek8

Pronunciation: in-gnome-a-bill-it-ee

Sentence:

Etymology: Latin, 'nomen'=name, English 'ability'

| 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