Vote for the best verboticism.

'Why are you sniffing your phone?'

DEFINITION: n., A compulsive need to sniff everything and anything you pick up, even things that typically do not have distinctive odors. v., To habitually sniff everything within your grasp -- just to make sure it's fresh.

Create | Read

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.

Inscentivised

Created by: galwaywegian

Pronunciation: in sent iv eye zd

Sentence: his dog was inscentivised around anyone who asspirated

Etymology: incentivise scent

| Comments and Points

Odoretentiveness

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: OH-de-REE-ten-TIV-ness

Sentence: Bob's odoretentiveness was becoming serious. If he couldn't identify each odor specifically, he would become sniffixated, full of smellancholy and fragrangsted. However, Roxie wasn't worried: Bob, after all, was of Greek background, and besides a fellow called Odorpus Reakes, was one of his ancesstors!

Etymology: Conflation of ODOR & RETENTIVENESS to describe a person with such attention to detail of odors, smells and the like that the obsession becomes an annoyance to others, and can be carried out to the detriment of the odor-retentive person.

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

metrohumanx Thanks for all the "bonus" words in there, creative one! - metrohumanx, 2008-10-27: 20:17:00

Hey, Bob...aren't you from the same land as Smell Gibson?? Good Word! - Nosila, 2008-10-27: 21:00:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Kleptaromatist

Created by: MichaelCampbellUK

Pronunciation: klep - ta - rome - a - tist

Sentence: Kevin was a confirmed kleptaromatist, compelled to plunder new scents uncontrollably.

Etymology: Kleptomaniac + aromatist

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

I like it! - Tigger, 2007-12-03: 21:27:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Compulsniff

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: kəmpəlsnif

Sentence: Gerry is obsessed with how things smell. Everything he uses must smell just right. He will compulsniff everything he touches. Last week he returned his new car to the dealership because it didn’t have enough new-car smell.

Etymology: compulsive (resulting from or relating to an irresistible urge) + sniff (draw in air audibly through the nose to detect a smell)

| Comments and Points

Sniffasouras

Created by: Daniel999

Pronunciation: sniff a sor as

Sentence: He was so obsessed with sniffing everything around him, they gave him the nickname "sniffasouras".

Etymology:

| Comments and Points

Gaspirate

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: gas pir ayt

Sentence: They called Barney the bloodhound, because he would gaspirate every object that came into his hand. It was embarrassing enough for friends when he did it in restaurants and stores. But when he started doing it to new people he'd meet, they just had to keep a sniff upper lip and hope he would not describe what he smelled.

Etymology: Gasp (a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open) & Aspirate (inhale;suck in air, along with whatever smells accompany said lungful)

| Comments and Points

Whiffappropo

Created by: psi4got

Pronunciation:

Sentence: Janelle looked over to find Dave in a fit of whiffappropo with his phone. "Would you please stop doing that in public!" she said under her breath.

Etymology: To catch a whiff of an odor and breathe in sharply through the nose to identify the 'flavor.' Appropo comes from a deliberate twist of the French word apropos meaning appropriate and in this case does it smell proper at this time.

| Comments and Points

Obscensitivity

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: Ob-sens-uh-TIV-uh-ty

Sentence: Ralph had a major case of obscentsitivity and would sniff everything, foods, personal grooming tools, and other inanimate objects with some kind of misguided notion that he could determine the safety or value of those things.

Etymology: Blend of obsessive, scent, and sensitivity.

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

metrohumanx A triple whammy! - metrohumanx, 2008-10-27: 20:09:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Olfactation

Created by: jaymiex

Pronunciation:

Sentence:

Etymology:

| Comments and Points

Whifficionado

Created by: Tigger

Pronunciation: \wif-fish-ee-uh-NAH-doh\

Sentence: Because Hector was a real whifficionado, anything that came near his face -- the phone, his sunglasses, even his girlfriend -- would get scrutinosed, and fragranalyzed. He had a total sniffixation.

Etymology: whiff - "a slight trace of odor or smell" (aspirated var. of Middle English, weffe) + aficionado - "enthusiast" (Spanish, aficion, -from Latin, affectionem)

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

I sorry if I've stolen "sniffixation" from you. I was unaware that you used it in your sentence. I'm happy to withdraw it & ubstitute "fragranxiety". I'm a fan of whifficionado; it's a great word. - OZZIEBOB, 2007-11-29: 04:28:00

No problem. Great minds think alike -- apparently, so do we sometimes. ;) I though that your word 'smellancholy' was brilliant. - Tigger, 2007-11-29: 12:21:00

I think this captures the 'essence' of the definition. - kabloozie, 2007-11-29: 19:52:00

franke Excellent word. Very funny. - franke, 2007-11-30: 10:02:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Show All or More...

 

Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-11-29: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by kabloozie. Thank you kabloozie ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-12-01: 07:47:00
Remistram also submitted definition about compulsive sniffing, so I have added her name to the credits for this definition. Thank you again to kabloozie and remistram. ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-03-24: 00:37:00
Today's definition was suggested by kabloozie. Thank you kabloozie. ~ James