Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v., To put an unwanted houseplant, especially a seasonal or gift plant like a Poinsettia or Easter Lily, outdoors in hopes that it will die. n., An unwanted houseplant which has been left to nature.
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.
Exfoliage
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: EX-FOE-lee-age
Sentence: In a fit of ruthless spring cleaning, all unwanted growth in the house was expunged. The plants were exfoliaged, and then the winter-coat on her legs was depilated.
Etymology: exfoliate (to get rid of unwanted growth) + ex (prefix meaning outside) + foliage (leaves)
Overstalk
Created by: astorey
Pronunciation: oh-ver-stalk
Sentence: Melissa liked her plants and generally tried to take good care of them. But when she travelled or forgot to water them, only the ones who could switch to desert mode would survive. The rest became, in Melissa's mind, overstalk, and her neglect moved from benign to willful, as she started planning what the overstalk's pot would hold next.
Etymology: Alteration of "overstock" to incorporate stalk, as in a plant stem. Also intended to imply that you are over the stalk.
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
cute...Maybe she should stalk to her plants to get them growing... - Nosila, 2008-10-13: 20:21:00
hahaha- "desert mode"....how optimistically deniable. Good one! - metrohumanx, 2008-10-14: 03:11:00
----------------------------
Floracide
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: floor-a-side
Sentence: I confess. I am a floracidal maniac - a plant serial killer. Every Christmas, Easter and Mother's Day my family, with the best of intentions, sends me a beautiful, innocent potted martyr and my black thumb condemns them to a sad and bitter ending on the porch alone without food, water or a means of escaping the elements. The doorbell rings and I can hear the poor thing scream, "Noooooo!" as my daughter announces, "Mom, your victim's here."
Etymology: flora: plant life of a particular region or time; the goddess of flowers + -cide: suffix that denotes the act of killing
Neglectaplant
Created by: pocketosmiles
Pronunciation: ne glec ta plant
Sentence: My solution for getting rid of my neglectaplant is to feed it to the neighbor's dog.
Etymology: Neg, deny + lect, pick out + aplant
Meanthumb
Created by: rikboyee
Pronunciation: meen-thum
Sentence: it was clear that the sad little pot plant was making her kitchen gloomy and it was time for her to exercise her meanthumb
Etymology: mean, green thumb
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
It just works. - dubld, 2007-11-14: 09:06:00
pot plants usually have the opposite effect - why didn't she just smoke it? - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-14: 10:21:00
i'm gunja pretend you didn't say that - rikboyee, 2007-11-14: 15:31:00
doobie doobie do - where's purple when you want to sing - you know youjuana - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-14: 16:25:00
Seems to mean it's all about meangreen! Nice word! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-11-14: 17:16:00
Purple's been swamped at work, with no signs of letting up until after Jan 15. Poor Purple. Love your word Rik. - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-14: 18:25:00
----------------------------
Sacriherb
Created by: thebaron
Pronunciation: sa-cri-herb
Sentence: Those ugly easter lilies became Aunt Ida's latest sacriherb.
Etymology: sacrifice + herb (plant)
Planthateshun
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: plant/hate/shun
Sentence: It was that time of year again. The tree was out in front of the house waiting for the garbage truck to take it to the "big forest in the sky." The trash bin was overflowing with Christmas wrappings and turkey bones. And up at the front door was the annual line of abandoned Poinsettas. Yes, they had "served their purpose" and now were nothing but planthateshuns. It's a sad life...
Etymology: plant + hate + shun
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
So sad... - Nosila, 2008-10-13: 20:16:00
Maybe we should start a floraphange for them?? - Nosila, 2008-10-13: 20:17:00
I know...it's a short and sad life. Floraphanage? Great idea! I'd surely adopt! :) - lumina, 2008-10-13: 22:22:00
Hilarious, with a smattering of sad truth.....Oh, floraphanage- i just got it. :) - metrohumanx, 2008-10-14: 03:14:00
----------------------------
Florasaken
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: flora/say/ken
Sentence: Lily was alone and florasaken, but at least she had a nice door to look at.
Etymology: FLORASAKEN - from FLORA (plants) + FORSAKEN (deserted; abandoned; forlorn)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Truly tragic Triffid, S.O. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-13: 02:37:00
A lonely little lily in an oninon patch? - Mustang, 2008-10-13: 08:47:00
----------------------------
Leafoutside
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: leef owt syde
Sentence: Like clockwork, Flora's neighbours saw the same phenomena after each season...abandoned plants on her back porch. Poinsettia's after Christmas, Lillies after Easter, Mums after Thanksgiving, etc. Apparently ignorant on any kind of plant care knowledge,Flora would leafoutside any of these poor hothouse-raised, sensitive showy plants to fend for themselves. Inevitably, snow, frost, critters and lack of water sealed their fate. Those neighbours were very worried that one of these days, Flora might get pregnant and have a baby. If she ran true to form, they were afraid they might find the baby abandoned on the porch because he had outgrown the cute stage and was way too much work and bother. They speculated that if this was not the child's fate, he should be named "Leaf the Lucky"!
Etymology: Leaf (the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants) & Outside (Not inside, in the elements) & play on leave outside (abandon something to the Great Outdoors)
Floracide
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: FLOR-eh-side
Sentence: In a seemingly heartless attempt to commit floracide on an unwanted hideous tropical houseplant she had gotten as a gift, Gracie left it outdoors on the patio during the harshest part of the winter.
Etymology: 'Flora' (Plants considered as a group) with the suffix 'cide' (from Latin meaning “killer,” “act of killing,” used in the formation of compound words)
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by yellowbird. Thank you yellowbird! ~ James'
purpleartichokes - 2007-11-14: 04:19:00
How ironic, I just did this yesterday with some cilantro that developed a wicked case of spider mites. Now I get to feel the guilt allll over again.
Jabberwocky - 2007-11-14: 15:22:00
I got a phone call from cilantro - he said "Save me purple - it's not too late"
purpleartichokes - 2007-11-14: 18:32:00
I hate you Jabber. Here come the nightmares... "I'm freeeeezing!"
The cilantro is just the tip of the iceberg! I heard that Purple iced her entire crop artichokes, which she was **trying** to grow hydroponically in her basement. That is until she saw her electricity bill quadruple. Just think of all those poor baby artichokes... It's sad, until you think -- Purple probably would have ate them anyways. ~ James
mplsbohemian - 2007-11-14: 23:08:00
Tip of the iceberg *lettuce*, you mean.
purpleartichokes - 2007-11-15: 06:54:00
Now I'm all choked up... guess I'll start eating more meat.
Today's definition was suggested by yellowbird. Thank you yellowbird. ~ James
A friend suggested a very scary thought. She says that the verbotomists should get together and have a \"meet & greet\".
Sounds good. We could have a convention in Verbena, Alabama