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'Look at that big smile!'

DEFINITION: v. To have difficulty recognizing, and correctly interpreting, human facial expressions. n. A person who cannot read faces.

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Verboticisms

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Discognify

Created by: jonobo

Pronunciation: dis-cogni-fy

Sentence: He completely discognified her defensive monkey-smile for an open invitation into deeper conversation. She discognified my looks on her T-Shirt for interest in her *oops*, but actually i was only interested in the printing-technique of the message on her chest.

Etymology: dissonance = reduced to "dis" cognitare = latin for recognize identify dissonance + cognitare + identify = discognify.

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Incountenance

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: in cown ten ants

Sentence: Jeff had a serious problem, particularly when he was around the ladies. He could not read faces or facial expressions. Because of it, he often misinterpreted the reactions he received from the fairer sex. Jeff suffered from incountenance and as a result, when he wanted them to stay, they wanted him to go!

Etymology: Incontinence (involuntary urination or defecation; indiscipline with regard to sensuous pleasures) & Countenance (the appearance conveyed by a person's face;the human face)

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Missedemeanour

CharlieB

Created by: CharlieB

Pronunciation: miss-duh-mean-er

Sentence: As Bill threw his paper aeroplane across the classroom, Mr Smith frowned. Bill mistook his stern expression for one of delight, promptly grinned and set about making an entire air force from his maths text book. He wasn't being naughty, it was just an unfortunate missedemeanour.

Etymology: Missed (failed to notice or understand) + demeanour (facial appearance) + Misdemeanour (misbehaviour)

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Misexpressionize

Created by: rubysoho

Pronunciation: miss-ex-PRESH-shun-ize

Sentence: Often people who are not successful at dating learn that it is because they tend to misexpressionize.

Etymology:

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Sneermiss

Created by: mplsbohemian

Pronunciation: sneer-MIHS

Sentence: Alex sneermissed the girl in the bar, and left befuddled as to why he was drenched in mojito.

Etymology: sneer + miss (to rhyme with near-miss--in this case, it is literally nearly a miss, whereas "near-miss" usually means "near-hit".)

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Malfacioread

Created by: duchessella

Pronunciation: mal-FA-ci-o-reed

Sentence: He keeps malfacioireading people and hence giving wrong responses; that is embarrassing.

Etymology: Mal = wrong, bad, mistake Facio = facial Read = read, interpret, understand (as in palm-reading)

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Adoubtface

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: a dowt fayss

Sentence: Pinky had always thought she was a visagenist, someone who could read faces and know what people were thinking. That was until she met Bruno. It did not help that Pinky had little control over her own facial expressions. What he interpreted as amourous curiosity on her part, was actually a look of constipation. His leer at her was actually gas pains from the chili he had eaten earlier. Her adoubtface would end in them enjoying a bottle of Pepto together later.

Etymology: A Doubt (a lack confidence in or have doubts about;an uncertainty about the truth or factuality of existence of something;the state of being unsure of something)& Face (the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear; the expression on a person's face;status in the eyes of others) & play on word About-face (change one's mind and assume the opposite viewpoint;a reversal in attitude or principle or point of view;act of pivoting 180 degrees, especially in a military formation)

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Oblivopath

Created by: serendipity9000

Pronunciation: oh-BLIV-o-path

Sentence: Only an oblivopath would think he looked happy about being kissed by her pet skunk.

Etymology: 'obliv' from oblivious + 'path' from the suffix of empath (one who actually has empathy or understanding of another's feelings) = one who is oblivious to the feelings of another as represented by their facial expressions.

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Antidisefacialism

Created by: Sharpedgeshurt

Pronunciation: Anti-Dys-uh-fa-shull-izm

Sentence: When Bob looked in to her eyes, he knew, or he thought he knew, by her smile, or was it a wince?, or a moan?--Actually, she was probably asleep--Anyway, Bob had antidisefacialism, and continued staring in to her sleeping face trying to figure out what it meant.

Etymology:

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Misinherpret

Created by: lumina

Pronunciation: miss/in/her/pret

Sentence: Todd was one of those guys who was a "legend in his own mind." He believed all the ladies were so into him that they couldn't look at him...sometimes even pretending he didn't exist. He was know to misinherpret the facial expressions once a woman was forced as he was known to stand blocking the doors. Yeah...that was his "best move."He was sure the white as a ghost paleness and the just on the horizon retch meant she was "totally into" him.

Etymology: Derived from the word misinterpret, but only applies to misreading a woman.

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COMMENTS:

like it - Jabberwocky, 2008-07-09: 13:49:00

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-05-09: 02:26:00
Today's definition was inspired by Cory Doctorow's short story "I, Row-Boat", where a sentient, and very sensitive Row-Boat has some difficulty reading a woman's facial expressions. See the full story in Overclocked. Thank you Cory! ~ James

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2008-07-09: 02:49:00
MIENBLIND is very good- and far more cerebral than my entry. Good work, Ozziebob.

MaybeLater_x - 2008-08-19: 19:10:00
Visagenary is also a play on Imaginary, nay?

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-11-25: 00:48:00
Today's definition was suggested by doctorow. Thank you doctorow. ~ James

ldikarev - 2012-09-06: 16:44:00

ldikarev - 2012-09-06: 16:45:00
Prosopagnosia -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia Prosopagnosia (Greek: "prosopon" = "face", "agnosia" = "not knowing") is a disorder of fa