Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n An invented language similar to baby talk, used by pet owners to communicate with their pets. v. To speak to an animal using an invented language.
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.
Geekinese
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: geek/in/eez
Sentence: As far as after school jobs go, Sheila was happy enough at PetsRUs. She didn't really mind the poop runs, or even hosing down the cages. There were days however, when she felt if one more potential buyer stood at the puppy window tapping and speaking geekinese, that she would definitely fill out an app over at Orange Julius!
Etymology: geek: A person with an unusual or odd personality. ese: Suffix meaning the language or dialect of.
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COMMENTS:
OMG talk about Pulp Friction...at least at OJ they only pups she'd see would be Pizza Dogs! - Nosila, 2008-08-03: 00:51:00
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Embarrassinglish
Created by: Katisms1
Pronunciation: im-bare-iss-ING-lish
Sentence: As she continued to coo baby-talk into her ratty lapdog's ear, in what could only be described as fluent Embarrasinglish, he prayed for a sudden emergency that would put an end to this blind date from hell.
Etymology: embarrassing (e.g. behaviour that clearly demonstrates the now-deafening tics and tocks of one's long-neglected biologogical clock) + English
Pronehoundsiation
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: prone hownd see ashun
Sentence: Maggie used pronehoundsiation when speaking to her pet dogs. She was sure they had a simpler grasp of our language and therefore litterally spoke to all of them as though they were stupid, hard of hearing and/or impervious to the teasing of other pets. Her schmoogie-woogie Schnauzer; her oodly-noodly Poodle; her chewzie-woozie Chihuahua; her orky-dorky Yorky and her musky-wusky Husky were all equally embarrassed by her linguistic torture. So they made a pact, every time Maggie used her verbal offensives on them, they would respond in cat-talk. When she used her endearments on them, they would reply with various impersonations of "Meow" "Mew" "Yowww" "SSSSSSSSSSS" and "NoooWWWWW". Maggie was so impressed that she bragged to her friends that her dogs had become bilingual. Isn't that itty, bitty, kitty nifty??? Who's feline better?
Etymology: Pronunciation (the manner in which someone utters a word)& Hound ( any of several breeds of dog)
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COMMENTS:
PRONEHOUNDSIATION ! PEALS of uproarious laughter, Nosila. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-01: 06:26:00
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Infantidote
Created by: rephil
Pronunciation: In-FAN-tih-dote
Sentence: I detest small dogs and those who infantidote upon them.
Etymology: infantile + dote
Dogguage
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: dog/gwij
Sentence: The language of choice for her three pups was dogguage. Even though it was gobbledygook to everyone else and sounded cutsey-wutsey, her pups were bonded to her and understood every rhyming couplet of her dogguage and loved her for it.
Etymology: dog + language
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COMMENTS:
Did they speak in doggerel? - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 08:58:00
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Furbledygook
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /ˈfɝbl̩diˌgʊk/
Sentence: The speaking of furbledygook can sometimes be an entirely involuntary response, striking even the most serious and restrained people immediately upon contact with a cutesy-wutesy widdle puppy-doggy or kitty-katty.
Etymology: From fur + gobbledygook (intentionally reminiscent of "furball")
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COMMENTS:
This is another one that sounds better out loud than it looks written down. - ErWenn, 2007-06-08: 04:00:00
Looks fine to me. Gobbledygook is more fun to pronounce than it is to read, as well, but what a useful word. - Clayton, 2007-06-08: 04:37:00
Cute word ErWenn! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-08: 04:43:00
It reminds me of the little presents our cats leave when they're shedding - usually found by unsuspecting bare feet in the middle of the night - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 15:03:00
This is why all my cats are shorthairs, Jabberwocky. - ErWenn, 2007-06-08: 23:47:00
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Critterfranca
Created by: serendipity9000
Pronunciation: cri-ter-frank-a
Sentence: He used to love sitting on his favorite bench in the park - until SHE started showing up each morning muttering in critterfranca to her poodle.
Etymology: critter (animal/pet) + franca (from lingua franca - any lanugage used as a way of speaking to others who speak different languages)
Petolish
Created by: Wordotwist
Pronunciation: Pet o lish
Sentence: When I first came to the US,I found it far easier to understand the petolish people used to speak to their pets,then the English they spoke to me.
Etymology: A combination of pet and lish as in English,Spanish,yidish etc.Joined by the o sound commonly used by owners in words addressed to pets.
Babybark
Created by: ekath
Pronunciation: babe-ee-bark
Sentence: The babybark that one sees when entering the vet's office is quite touching.
Etymology: from baby talk + bark
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram! ~ James
purpleartichokes - 2007-06-08: 04:52:00
Great definition remistram! Outstanding submissions already! Gonna be hard voting today.
Jabberwocky - 2007-06-08: 12:11:00
I wish I could vote for every word today
jadenguy - 2007-06-08: 12:16:00
I guess everybody's creative juices are flowing since the weekend is upon us. Contentment envelops us like a warm wind on a brisk morning stroll.
ziggy41 - 2007-06-08: 12:40:00
ahh that's got to be an exact replica of my dog in the pic!
ErWenn - 2007-06-08: 14:04:00
Holy crap, there's a lot of good words today!
Verbotomy received a very positive review today in the The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper. The story quotes words created by Stevenson0, Clayton and Rikboyee. See more: The Globe and Mail: Getting together to make up words.
Jabberwocky - 2007-06-08: 15:18:00
figures ziggy41 would have a k9
jadenguy - 2007-06-08: 15:43:00
I want a pug but I'm often concerned about not noticing it where i walk.
texmom - 2007-06-08: 21:44:00
It really was hard to choose. Petois just had that touch of class.
administraitor - 2007-06-09: 17:58:00
Toronto’s venerable “Mop & Pail” as the paper is affectionately known, is what led me to Verbotomy on Friday. My first instinct was to submit “Doggerel” then realized that it was in no way sufficiently twisted to survive! I’m looking forward to a lotta laffs with this!
mplsbohemian - 2007-06-10: 19:58:00
Dang, I just came up with a much better word, and it's too late for me to enter it: gerbilish!
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James