Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To prevent someone from participating in an undesired activity by engaging them in another activity which makes it impossible to do the first. n. Two things cannot be done at the same time.
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.
Cullduggery
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: kuhl-DUHG_uh-ree
Sentence: Roxie disrailed any of Bob's less- than-desirable activities through a strict program of cullduggery.
Etymology: CULL: Something picked out and put aside or removed as unrequired; SKULLDUGGERY:Instance(s) of less than desirable behaviour. Deception, dishonesty, trickery.
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COMMENTS:
very clever - Jabberwocky, 2008-05-22: 13:34:00
Cullever word, Bob! - Nosila, 2008-05-22: 20:41:00
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Dimswitch
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: dimswich
Sentence: Jill’s boyfriend Donny is not the sharpest tool on the bench. If he starts to perform embarrassing bar tricks at a party she employs her patented dimswitch technique, a.k.a. the ooh-look-a-shiny-thing tactic. It never fails.
Etymology: dim (not bright) + switch (change the position, direction, or focus of)
Solitarsking
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: soll-it-asking
Sentence: It helps to be good at solitarsking when working with preschoolers and trying to avoid little fingers getting up to mischief.
Etymology: solitary (single, one) + task (job, activity) inspired by the term multitasking which is really what is expected when the boss says you need to be multiskilled.
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COMMENTS:
Clever blend,. Took me a while to catch on to it. I too 'toyed' with the unitasking concept for while. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-05-22: 08:26:00
Actually could have used psycholdoggy here as well. Keep throwing a stick so the dog can't lick his unmentionables. - petaj, 2008-05-23: 02:36:00
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Subterguile
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: SUB - ter - gile
Sentence: Wilhelmena employed a two pronged game of subterguile on her couch potato fiance, Rutherford, first distracting him with alluring smiles and suggestions and then offering other options to lure him away from another weeked of non stop on-line gaming with his buddies on his computer.
Etymology: Blend of 'subterfuge' (A deceptive stratagem or device) and 'guile' (deceitful cunning)
Predispaversion
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: pree-dis-puh-vur-zhuh
Sentence: When Janet noticed her boyfriend, Jamie's propensity for chewing on pens, she decided to treat his bad habit with predispaversion. She dipped all the pens in the house in hot sauce. Her little experiment backfired when he developed a taste for the fiery concoction and almost doubled their food and pen budget. She also got burned the other morning when she wrote her self a note with one of her mangled pens just before applying her eye shadow.
Etymology: predisposition (tendency to a condition or quality, usually based on the combined effects of genetic and environmental factors) + aversion (a strong feeling of dislike, opposition, repugnance, or antipathy)
Incompaticake
Created by: diyan627
Pronunciation: in cum pat eee cayk
Sentence: Barry is so dense...Nina plays incompaticake with him all the time to get him to stop doing things she doesn't like.
Etymology: incompatible + patty cake (game that would entertain a nearly primordial person :) The funny thing is, this is a real definition out there in Behavior Analysis Academia.. The real term for the technique is called Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible behaviors (DRI)
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COMMENTS:
wonderful etymology - Jabberwocky, 2008-05-22: 13:38:00
Is incompaticake the same as wedding -cake? - OZZIEBOB, 2008-05-22: 18:53:00
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Distractivity
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: dis-trac-tiv-i-ty
Sentence: Jill learned to keep a distractivity in her purse for social situations with Jack. If he became bored, he would get into trouble. At her mother's dinner party she heard him start a lively conversation about the elections with Uncle Will. Quickly, she pulled a Game Boy out of her purse and sent him into the game room to wait for dinner.
Etymology: distract: divert attention + activity: an educational aid designed to stimulate learning through hands-on experience
Sublimatention
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: sub-lim-a-ten-shen
Sentence: Karen used sublimatention successfully to redirect Ron's focus from a bad behavior to a good one. Now, instead of nose mining in public, he cleans his glasses.
Etymology: subliminal: below the threshold of conscious perception + sublimate: direct energy from a socially improper behavior to an acceptable one + mate: spouse + attention: concentrated focus of the mind
Womanipulate
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: wooh man ipp yew layt
Sentence: Anytime the Honkers games were televised, she would use her considerable stache of lingerie to womanipulate the situation. Anything to prevent the new couch being covered with beer and pizza stains.
Etymology: woman, manipulate
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COMMENTS:
I wonder if lingerie works for Hockey as well...hmmm - Jabberwocky, 2008-05-22: 13:41:00
A good "dressing-down" often works! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-05-22: 18:46:00
A good "dressing-down" often works! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-05-22: 18:46:00
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Procedo
Created by: splendiction
Pronunciation: prow SEE due
Sentence: Sam’s parents accomplished the amazing! He made his bed, vacuumed the downstairs, took out the garbage - all before breakfast! The procedo was that he couldn’t eat until his chores were done.
Etymology: From PROCEDURE and DO - to do a set activity before another activity.
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COMMENTS:
A perfect placebo - Nosila, 2009-07-02: 13:20:00
- of course I would never give out a real procedo like this! - splendiction, 2009-07-04: 21:23:00
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Comments:
Today's definition is inspired by the "Joy of Incompatible Behaviors". It's Amy Sutherland's secret weapon for dealing with people who have annoying habits which they can't seem to control. The secret is not to try to stop them, but rather get them on another track. See: "What Shamu Taught me About Life, Love and Marriage". Thanks Amy! ~ James
Today's definition is inspired by the "Joy of Incompatible Behaviors". It's Amy Sutherland's secret weapon for dealing with people who have annoying habits which they can't seem to control. The secret is not to try to stop them, but rather get them on another track. See: "What Shamu Taught me About Life, Love and Marriage". Thanks Amy! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by amysutherland. Thank you amysutherland. ~ James