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.
Expelant
Created by: bzav1
Pronunciation: ex-pel-ant
Sentence: Instead of transplanting the geraniums, Betty decided to expelant them on the porch in hopes that someone would take them away.
Etymology: expel - to cast out + plant, antonym of transplant
Explantriate
Created by: thegoatisbad
Pronunciation: ex-'plant-re-ate
Sentence: Unidentifiable dead stalks stood in haphazard rows, interrupted only by the occasional rotting heap of pumpkin or novelty plastic container. Each day Kimberly marched through this, her not garden, which was annually expanding westward and pushing her car closer and closer to the street. Kimberly's explantriation annoyed her neighbors, "it's an eyesore" complained Jared "and it's driving down the value of my house and it's driving me crazy!" Kimberly quipped: "the only real eyesore in this neighborhood is Jared's wife."
Etymology: plant (distinguished on the microscopic level by cell walls) + expatriate (to leave one's country)
Arborwinism
Created by: MissRabbit
Pronunciation: Arr-bore-win-ism
Sentence: A guilty arborwinist, Meg got so depressed watching her holiday flowers slowly shrivel away that she finally abandoned them to the elements.
Etymology: A mix of arbor (relating to trees/plants) and Darwinism (survival of the fittest)
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COMMENTS:
Shundashrub, also. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-13: 01:45:00
Wabbits are not kind to shwubs. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-13: 01:45:00
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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)
Snubotany
Created by: Tigger
Pronunciation: snŭ-bŏt'-ən-ē
Sentence: Alice's in-laws ran a florist shop, but she had terrible alergies, and she was forced to practice snubotany every year on Christmas and on her and Carl's anniversary. [In fact, Carl knew that if he started up the driveway only to find a outdoorchid, or a porchsettia, that had been patiousted, and it wasn't Christmas, he'd better just turn right around and go shopping for an anniversary present.]
Etymology: snub - To ignore or behave coldly toward; to slight (Middle English, snubben) + botany - the science of plants (Greek, botanikós)
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COMMENTS:
Now that's a clever word!! Kinda rolls of the tongue. - libertybelle, 2007-11-14: 09:14:00
Sure does. Although Alice may need a snubdevil to perform a exflorcism! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-11-14: 17:13:00
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Exofoliacizing
Created by: dubld
Pronunciation: eg-so-fo-fo-lee-ah-size-ing
Sentence: After living with the drooping easter lilly for a time, he decided it was time to exofoliacize his easter demon plant.
Etymology: exo (Out) + foliage (Plant) + Exorcize (Expel)
Florphan
Created by: Koekbroer
Pronunciation: flor-fin
Sentence: "Look at this lovely florphan I found on 7th street!", exclaimed Rachel as she came through the door holding what looked like some kind of bedraggled plant.
Etymology: flora, orphan
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COMMENTS:
Florabundiful word! - Nosila, 2010-03-10: 16:09:00
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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.
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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
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Ostraponicaw
Created by: metrohumanx
Pronunciation: oss-trip-ONIC-awww
Sentence: Herb really loved Lilly, but he only tolerated her infatuation with plants. Lilly had a necrarium in the living room in which nothing greater than fungi would grow. In the kitchen, spiderplants threatened Herb's every move. Forest litter and detritus was accumulating under the end tables. Herb, not being especially gifted at conflict resolution, decided to convert one houseplant each night into an OSTRAPONICAW. He gave secret thanks to the Frost Giants who visited the doorstep and turned each rare succulent into a slimy mass of burst cells which no plant food spike could ever hope to revive. Poor Lilly. AWWWWWWWWWWW
Etymology: OSTRAcise+hydroPONIC+AWWWW= OSTRAPONICAW .....OSTRACISE:a method of temporary banishment without trial or special accusation ; exclusion by general consent from common privileges or social acceptance.....HYDROPONICS:the growing, however unsucessfully, of plants in nutrient solutions without an inert medium (as soil) to provide mechanical support.....AWWW: 21st century exclamation intended to express dismay or mock sympathy, often uttered at the demise of an unloved decorative companion.
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COMMENTS:
The BEST source for planty stuff:
http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/ - metrohumanx, 2008-10-13: 01:38:00
OSTRAPONICS: The Not growing of plants on any viable medium. Plants which thrive on abuse are particularly suited to this merhod of floracide. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-13: 01:42:00
how cruel - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-13: 14:08:00
Now that i look at OSTRAPONICAW, it sounds like an endangered sub-tropical bird. Oh well- there are no provisions for "taking back" a word, i guess. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-14: 02:51:00
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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)
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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
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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