Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n. The fear that you will be outsourced, downsized, unassigned, or separated (one way or another) from your weekly paycheck. v. To use the threat of outsourcing and downsizing to manage and motivate your team.
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.
Goadriddance
Created by: focusteacher
Pronunciation: gohd rih duns
Sentence: In a tough economy, bosses can utilize goadriddance to threaten their employees to work harder.
Etymology: From goad=to provoke to stimulate some action or reaction, and riddance=the action of removing something troublesome
Pinkslipophobia
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: pink slip o fobia
Sentence: Serena suffered from pinkslipophobia,especially when the budget cuts were announced each year. So far she had dodged that bullet. She was sure it was because she refused to wear a pink slip to work...
Etymology: Pink slip (lose your job) & Phobia (fear)
Antepressgang
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: anty-press-gang
Sentence: With a heavy heart, Hilary, cast her eyes once again over the positions vacant column. She was in a terrible state with her supervisor antepressganging by pointing out how few jobs were available in the industry all the while bullying the team into working unpaid overtime or facing the jobless queue.
Etymology: ante (opposite) + press gang (group of 'recruiters' who would coerce the poor and vulnerable into military/naval service) + oppress (to subdue)
Contractivate
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: kon trak tiv ayt
Sentence: When Megan became boss, she sought to contractivate her team by threatening to out source their jobs if they failed to meet targets. But in the end, it was Megan whose leadership style got her a big promotion, to the office in India!
Etymology: Contract (to assign a job to someone outside one's own business) & Activate (make active or more active;put in motion or move to act)
Dontaxme
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: dōntaksmē
Sentence: With the abundance of pink slips, Randy goes to work each day with a dontaxme attitude. He makes a point of looking as busy as possible without really accomplishing anything. If anybody requests help, he fears that he might end up in the wrong camp so generally responds ”Dontaxme”.
Etymology: don’t ask me! (used to indicate that one does not know the answer to a question and that one is surprised or irritated to be questioned) + ax (dismiss suddenly and ruthlessly)
Underpressurecooker
Created by: bookowl
Pronunciation: un/dur/pres/yur/cuk/ur
Sentence: There was an underpressurecooker attitude in the office - get cooking or get canned.
Etymology: under pressure + pressure cooker
Motixiety
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: moh/tuh/zahy/i/tee
Sentence: Motixiety is the chosen strategy of most toxic managers. It's easier to stay aloof from their workers by using fear for production, than actually having a conversation and getting to know their employees.
Etymology: motixiety - motivate + anxiety - negative motivating through the use of anixety
Pinkslippery
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: pink slip per ee
Sentence: Snow White had a unique approach to making the Seven Dwarves work in the mines. She was Happy if they went off each morning singing their Hi-Ho song. But if they felt Sleepy or Sneezy or Dopey or Bashful and did not go to the Doc, it would make Snow White Grumpy. So she would use pinkslippery to motivate their little back sides. Let's face there isn't much work out there for whistling tiny guys, who only know how to work underground. Although it is Grimm, it obviously worked, because no movie was ever made about Snow White and the 5 or 6 Dwarves.
Etymology: Pink Slip (official notice that you have been fired from your job) & Slippery (not to be trusted;being such as to cause things to slip or slide) also Slipper (as in the magical footwear famous in fairy tales).
Oversea
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: ōvərsē
Sentence: If Janice doesn't get the staff she oversees to produce more, upper management threatens oversea her crew.
Etymology: oversee (supervise) + overseas (in or to a foreign country, esp. one across the sea)
Brokeaphobia
Created by: mikeysfbay
Pronunciation:
Sentence: My brokeaphobia keeps me from saying anything to my boss.
Etymology: Said to have been described in a 1929 edition of the Wall Street Journal
Bangalorn
Created by: rebelvin
Pronunciation: BANGAlor+forLORN
Sentence: All the boss has to do is mention bringing in Offshore Resources and we are too bangalorn to do anything but suck it up.
Etymology: BANGAlor+forLORN Bangalor, India - famous for being built up from the early outsourcing trend; the "Silicon Valley of India."
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COMMENTS:
funny! - arrrteest, 2008-05-30: 22:15:00
Good one...I get bangalorn getting sales calls from the Royal Bank of Canada during my dinnertime! - Nosila, 2008-05-30: 22:57:00
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Redundantsee
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: re - DUN - dunt - see
Sentence: Arvin was deeply depressed, caught up in serious redundantsee and having visions of his position at the office being eliminated and finding himself looking for a new source of income.
Etymology: Blend of redundant and see. A play on redundancy, a term for 'layoff' in some places.
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COMMENTS:
Good word...Arvin was a redundunce! - Nosila, 2008-05-30: 23:02:00
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Managitate
Created by: Discoveria
Pronunciation: Man-aj-jit-tayte
Sentence: My manager knows how to managitate. If I don't finish the job by tomorrow, he's going to cut my pay for next month.
Etymology: Manage + agitate
Intimatedayshun
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: inn tim et daeeeee shun
Sentence: Her intimatedayshun caused almost immediate downsizing in the trouser department.
Etymology: intimidation, intimate day, shun
Motisway
Created by: TJayzz
Pronunciation: Mow -tee-sway
Sentence: When it came to motivating the team, Gordon had to resort to motisway. So he dropped a few hints about the downsizing rumours that were going around the boardroom. After all it was up to him to meet the deadlines.
Etymology: Moti from motivate. Sway(to influence power over others) =Motisway
Bombayboot
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: bom-bey-boot
Sentence: Clyde thought he'd keep his crew in line with the threat of outsourcing. To his surprise the company gave his entire division the Bombayboot. Now if you call Clyde's old phone number it is answered by someone with a heavy Indian accent named Bradley.
Etymology: Bombay (city in India) + boot (dismiss from service, fire)
Redundantsee
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: re - DUN - dant - see
Sentence: Alvin was deeply depressed, caught up in serious redundantsee and having visions of his position at the office being eliminated and finding himself looking for a new source of income,
Etymology: Blend of 'redundant' (excess to requirements, unnecessary) and 'see' (observe, catch sight of) . A play on redundancy, a term for 'layoff' in some places.
Strongalm
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: STRAWNG-ahm
Sentence: It was Roxie's mantra, to strongalm them "Do you know the real meaning of salary sacrifice?" She would roar. "It means when your livelihood, becomes your deadlihood, and you, your wife and kids are in the poor house. That will be my payout to you, if you don't get this job done ahead of schedule."
Etymology: Blend of Strong_ARM: to bully, standover & ALM: a back formation creating a verb from alms (s & pl noun): handout, money, goods, and other donations given to the poor and needy - in many cases through unemployment.
Dumphear
Created by: wordmeister
Pronunciation: dum feer
Sentence: I was overcome byn dumpheer when they moved the office downtown
Etymology: dump +fear
Usurperize
Created by: scrabbelicious
Pronunciation: |jʊˈzəːp| |əː| |rʌɪz|
Sentence: Jack was in constant fear of his crazy boss. "He's completely cuckoo" Jack Wood say, "Let's see him usurperize me after I change all the passwords on the mainframe". (Ed.- er mainframe?)
Etymology: Usurp and er-ize for blending raisins...like sultanas only nicer.
Intimitermination
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: in/tim/i/tur/mim/ay/shun
Sentence: The boss kept his employees working unpaid overtime with intimitermination techniques. If they didn't reach their quotas a new team would replace them.
Etymology: intimidation + intimate (hint) + termination
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COMMENTS:
Good mix - like it - Rutilus, 2008-05-30: 14:12:00
Interesting and intimidating!! - wordmeister, 2008-05-30: 13:54:00
Having been intimitermed a coupla times myself, I couldn't help but vote for this. Good job! - mikeysfbay, 2008-05-30: 18:56:00
I sprained my tongue and split a lip saying intimitermination but I like it anyway! - Mustang, 2008-05-30: 22:19:00
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Downsighs
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: down size
Sentence: When the meeting had been announced, the jungle drums had beat in overtime mode, speculation was rife and people got their exercise jumping to conclusions. Phil could hear the attitude already in the meeting he was addressing. He was here to tell his staff about the new contracts they had just signed, which would give everyone job security. But being the pessimists they were, he could hear the downsighs already. When he did announce the good news, nobody believed him. They all had visions of severance packages in their heads and had all sent off their resumes and cleaned out their desks. How in the hell was he supposed to service the new contracts now? He figured they had all come down with contract squirmatitis!
Etymology: downsize (To make a company smaller through terminations, retirements, or the selling off of various operations) & sighs (utter with a sigh) & down (cause to come or go down or non-existant)
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COMMENTS:
heehee - galwaywegian, 2008-05-30: 07:40:00
I've had contract squirmatitis before, it's no fun!! Excellent word. - Mustang, 2008-05-30: 22:19:00
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Impendency
Created by: pieceof314
Pronunciation: im-pend-ansee
Sentence: Marsha used her voracious sexual appetite as a motivating impendancy to make her present lover think twice before jetting off to Vegas with the boys.
Etymology: impend, at hand + ency, from urgency
Dispissal
Created by: wordmeister
Pronunciation: dis-piss-all
Sentence: Thanks to his boss’s regular habit of dispissalling on his subordinates, Allan had about as much confidence as a wet toilet seat.
Etymology: dismiss, epistle,etc.
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COMMENTS:
interesting - Jabberwocky, 2008-05-30: 12:41:00
Thank you Jabberwocky! - wordmeister, 2008-05-30: 13:57:00
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Appallvanize
Created by: Rutilus
Pronunciation: ap-all-van-ize
Sentence: Marylyn appallvanized her staff on a daily basis, believing it would motivate the good and lead to the departure of the 'chaff'. However, she seemed blissfully unaware that this dangerous approach could catastrophically backfire.
Etymology: appall - frighten, dismay; galvanize - strengthen, motivate
Comments:
Verbotomy - 2008-05-30: 00:00:01
Today's definition was suggested by rebelvin. Thank you rebelvin. ~ James
Verbotomy - 2008-05-30: 10:45:01
Attention all female Verbotomists:
It has come to my attention that the most men do not get "Sex and the City", the once popular TV Series which is just been release as "major" Hollywood extravaganza. I am hoping that perhaps, this is just an education problem. And in an effort to address this knowledge gap, I am proposing we engage ourselves in a Sex and the City Week here at Verbotomy, starting on Monday June 2, 2008. That is why I am sending out this emergency call for Sex and the City definitions.
Submit your Sex and The City Definition...
I have also posted a short instructional video on our blog to help give a hint to the males in the crowd. See: Verbotomy gets in bed with Sex and the City
Your humble creative servant ~ James
Verbotomy - 2010-07-30: 00:22:00
Today's definition was suggested by rebelvin. Thank you rebelvin. ~ James
Malinareink - 2018-08-01: 06:33:00
Мне очень жаль, ничем не могу Вам помочь. Но уверен, что Вы найдёте правильное решение. Не отчаивайтесь.
Genkareink - 2018-08-01: 10:21:00
Это — невероятно!