Vote for the best verboticism.

DEFINITION: v., To search for and find a pen to write down an important note, only to discover that the pen does not work. n., A moment in time when the only pens you can find, are pens that do not work.

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Verboticisms

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Penundrum

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: pen-NUHN-druhm

Sentence: Bob faced a penundrum when his biro pendripulated as he tried to write down the address of his new girlfriend - Woodraliggunie st, Gutchboordankendockenarup, Western Australia. Despite his dyspengraphic pleadings, she remained unsympathetic presenting him with a penultimatum: get one that writes or get lost!

Etymology: Blend of pen & conundrum: a puzzling question or problem.

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COMMENTS:

I think Bob should buy some pencils - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-06: 13:51:00

I guess Bob will never get to go to Camp Comeoniwannalaya with his new-found girlfriend. (great word ozzie!) - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-06: 19:58:00

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Inkompentense

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: ink kom pen tens

Sentence: Inkredibly inkonvenient is what he thought. Here he was trying to find a pen that worked to write down the number given him on the phone message he had just accidentally erased from his answering machine...while that number was still in his head. His inklination was to give up, but it would be inkonsiderate to not call back and arrange that interview. Heaven knows his inkome relied upon his getting hired for this great job. At this moment, without a functioning pen, he was in a state of inkompentense. Luckily, he found his cell phone and managed to get the number inkarcerated into it, before it was lost in the fog of poor memory. Hopefully he would not sound inkoherent at his interview...

Etymology: Incompetence (inability of a part or organ to function properly) & Ink (a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing) & Pen (writing implement) & Tense (make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time)

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Birony

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: by ron ee

Sentence: It was one of life's bits of birony that Fred could only find pens in his house that were all out of ink. He could never find the write stuff!

Etymology: Biro (a pen that has a small metal ball as the point of transfer of ink to paper) & Irony (incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs)

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Inkinframed

Created by: leechdude

Pronunciation: ink- in- framed

Sentence: Joe was a reporter writing notes for how to stop pollution when he finally noticed his page was blank, "I've been inkinframed!"

Etymology: ink, framed

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COMMENTS:

nice - leechdude, 2007-11-06: 21:10:00

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Forsakepen

Created by: MrDave2176

Pronunciation: for-SAYK-pen / KWILL-kwest

Sentence: Joel was feeling foresakepen. His quillquest netted him a handful of nibarren plastic rods useful for little more than stirring coffee. Nibarren = empty nib (the thing that dispenses the ink)

Etymology: foresa(ken) + pen / quill (a quill is always useless without ink) + quest

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COMMENTS:

very good - lots of great words in your sentence - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-06: 11:40:00

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Yeahuhholdonasec

Created by: thegoatisbad

Pronunciation: yeah-uh-hold-on-a-sec

Sentence: Kimberly was in for a frustrating day when Zinnia traded all of her well-hydrated pens with their desiccated cousins from long forgotten junk drawers. Zinnia could hardly contain her amusement as Kimberly constantly yeahuhholdonasec'ed with customers placing large scale orders of sweaters.

Etymology: it's what you say on the phone when you can't find a pen

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Penopausal

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: pen-o-PAWZ-uhl

Sentence: Penopausal made Bob feel powerless when it caused him to miss a once in a life-time date with Jennifer Hawkins.

Etymology: PEN:a writing implement& PAUSE: to cause to cease +AL: suffix:kind of, pertaining to.

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COMMENTS:

very funny ozzie - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-03: 09:44:00

Good one! - TJayzz, 2008-10-03: 13:09:00

What happens when you combine penopausal with a menopausal woman...? I shudder to think about it. - zxvasdf, 2008-10-03: 13:40:00

Murder, She Wrote! - Nosila, 2008-10-03: 20:19:00

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Bickenscratch

Created by: xirtam

Pronunciation: bic-en-skrach

Sentence: With the only pen I could find out of ink, I had to bickenscratch the phone number into the note pad so I could read the indentations later.

Etymology: bic: a brand of pen + Chicken Scratch: slang; poor or illegible writing. Scratch: To write or draw by scraping or cutting the lines into a surface.

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COMMENTS:

To be precise, this is the inevitable result of the event described, but I like it! 'He bickenscratched his way through the morning until he finally found a pen that worked.' - Tigger, 2007-11-06: 13:23:00

I like it too. Resembles my grocery list. - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-06: 20:01:00

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