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DEFINITION: v. To push yourself so hard to reach an impossibly high standard of perfection, that you undercut your own success. n. An impossibly high goal which practically guarantees failure.
Verboticisms
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Prepostexert
Created by: Kirubeza
Pronunciation: pre-POHST-igs-ERT
Sentence: Barry's wife finally pushed him to prepostexert his shaving, by making him use the household craft knife to remove his infuriating stubble.
Etymology: PREPOSTEROUS & EXERT. (To be insensibly impossible & to strive, toil, or struggle for something)
Amputoimperfecto
Created by: alona
Pronunciation: amp-YOU-toe-imperfect-oh
Sentence: He went totally amputoimperfecto before the date and nearly shaved his mouth off.
Etymology: amputo - amputate, cut off. from latin. imperfecto - imperfect, latin.
Mortain
Created by: EonaFrae
Pronunciation: more-tane
Sentence: I'd been struggling all year to mortain good grades, but for some reason my coveted A+ remained illusive.
Etymology: Mort [french: dead] + Attain [To accomplish, to achieve]
Ultraidealism
Created by: mickey666
Pronunciation: phonetic
Sentence: Aiming to break two hours for his marathon run proved the complete ultraidealism as his heart failed 18 miles into the race.
Etymology: ultra = excessive idealism = seeking perfection
Egoreach
Created by: maxxy
Pronunciation: EE-go-reech
Sentence: Jim was so determined to flatter his new boss that he egoreached himself right into a sexual harassment suit.
Etymology: ego + reach (A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?)
Underflog
Created by: Javeson1
Pronunciation: uhn-der-flog
Sentence: Sometimes actors, musicians, politicians, or other celebrities (also including honor students) tend to underflog their own success by expecting too much of themselves.
Etymology: underdog + flog (as in, underdogging one's self, which leads to the flogging of one's career)
Icarussing
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: icarus - ing
Sentence: The opera singer strove for a perfect tone, but icarussing resulted in vocal cord nodes and a husky voice.
Etymology: Icarus (the boy, exulting in his career, began to soar upward as if to reach heaven, where the sun melted the wax holding his wings together and he plunged into the sea) + ing
Overdrive
Created by: egonschiela
Pronunciation: over+drive
Sentence: Nigel? It's Mother here ... I'm worried about you ... now listen to me, Nigel - if you don't get a good meal inside you, and a proper eight hours in that bed of yours, you'll overdrive yourself. Are you listening to me? Nigel? Nigel?
Etymology: As in 'overdo' + 'strive'
Masochristic
Created by: hyperborean
Pronunciation: ma-so-krih-stihk
Sentence: He tried so hard to be perfect it was masochristic. How would Jesus shave?
Etymology: masochist + christ
Martryer
Created by: Carla
Pronunciation: mah-trigh-er
Sentence: Simon's self-loathing drove him to pursue impossible goals. When, inevitably, he failed, he could at least wallow in the sanctimonious self-pity of a martryer.
Etymology: martyr + try
