Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n. Anxiety created by an inability to understand or follow the regulations for recycling, composting and garbage collection. v. To feel confused and conflicted because you produce too much garbage and don't know how to get rid of it.
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.
Rubbishension
Created by: doseydotes
Pronunciation: rə-bish-en(t)-shən
Sentence: Standing before the recycling bins in the Wal*Mart parking lot, Midge felt herself break out in a sweat. Did the aluminum vegetable cans belong with the soda cans, or did they simply go in with the regular garbage? "Good grief, lady, hurry up!" the man behind Midge spat between clenched teeth. Midge, her vision blurring, gave up and walked away with her bags of refuse. "I'm going to have to visit Dr. Johnson and see if I can't get something for this rubbishension pretty soon," she thought, as she stuffed the bags into her car, which was already filled with other recyclables.
Etymology: From Greek, rub, meaning "to cause slight friction"; from Phoenician, bish, meaning "fish with big lips"; and from English (American South dialect), ension, meaning "to creep along slowly and stealthily."
Ecodisorderaphobia
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: eko dis ord era fob eeya
Sentence: Eric was new to the whole recycling thing. He had thought recycling was when they made the Tour de France be run again. He & Kate spent hours trying to sort all their household waste into suitable categories. You could say they suffered from ecodisorderafobia, because they were always afraid they were sorting their trash improperly. Would the Garbage Police shut them down once and for all for failing to conform? For months they lived with this fear. Finally Eric got brave one morning and approached the garbageman (okay Waste Disposal Technician) as he came down their alley. Biting the bullet he bravely asked the civic employee how they were doing in their sorting efforts. The garbageman winked and chuckled and told him not to worry. When Eric pressed him why he should not worry, he was told that all the stuff was just going to be dumped into the landfill anyway! All these months they had been sorting their trash for the seagulls. It was then that Eric & Kate vowed to become ecowarriors and run for city council.
Etymology: ecology (the environment as it relates to living organisms) & disorder (a condition in which things are not in their expected places or disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed) & phobia ( an anxiety disorder characterized by extre
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Your sentence and word do a great job of presenting this part of the issue. Excellent! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 12:48:00
I agree. Your sentence hits on the topic of the economics of recycling, and how recycling programs are only successful when it's economically feasible to recycle (i.e. if it costs more to recycle something, then the program must either be subsidized or abandoned). Very thought provoking. - Tigger, 2008-03-25: 22:58:00
----------------------------
Drossoverreaction
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: dros-oh-VER-ree-AK-shuhn
Sentence: Bob dreaded Thursday evenings; when, at about 9.33pm, Roxie would yell to him, "Have you put the garbage out yet?" All this may seem a trifle odd, but he always felt that in the moonlight a pair of eyes were firmly fixed upon him. Indeed it made him feel apprehensive, until one evening out of the shadows sprang Ilsa, head of the neighourhood garbage gestapo. "What do you mean putting foreign language print in with English language newspapers?" she scowled. He hardly knew what to say, but managed to reply, " Oh, come on; I guess, after all, don't they both derive from Sanskrit?" She glared, but made no reply, and he too remained silent, not wishing to trash talk her. Early the next morning, as he was leaving his house, he saw her but perservered in his resolution not to speak to her or allow himself to be subjected to her drossoverreactions.
Etymology: DROSS: Waste, Refuse & QVERREACTION: over-the-top response
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Next up on Trash Talk... - arrrteest, 2008-03-25: 08:28:00
Well done irony showing it can be taken to far, in both your sentence and word! Potent verboticism! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 13:18:00
wonderful sentence - Jabberwocky, 2008-03-25: 13:37:00
----------------------------
Compuzzled
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: kämpəzəld
Sentence: Environmentally-friendly, green, recycle, reuse, compost... It all leaves Jerry compuzzled.
Etymology: compost (decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer) + puzzled (to feel confused because they cannot understand or make sense of something)
Insanitation
Created by: lplybon
Pronunciation: "in-SAN-i-tay-SHUN"
Sentence: Sharon's insanitation has greatly increased since she moved to Green Acres, a community where everyone recycles. Her insanitation has gotten so bad she swears to her husband that the "recycle police" are coming to get her!
Etymology: Combination of the words "insanity" and "sanitation"
Discomposture
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: dis/com/post/yur
Sentence: I hurried down the street with my sunglasses on, listening to my ipod, so that none of the neighbours would notice my discomposture after I had hastily stashed a plastic muffin tray in the recycling bin. It did have a recyling symbol on it but I wasn't sure if the number was acceptable or not.
Etymology: discomposure + compost + dis (as in disrespect)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Oh, how I love compost! Wish there was a song about it. Good word! - purpleartichokes, 2008-03-25: 12:45:00
With originality you have captured the meaning and feeling in the definition again ... with wit and humor thrown in! Outstanding! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 13:28:00
After reading your sentence, I had to google "recycling number" to understand what you are talking about here. Maybe it's because I'm an American, or maybe it's because I live in the middle of the United States (and not on a coast) but I admit I had no earthly idea that there were numbers on recyclables. Alas, we have no curb-side recyclables on my street. - doseydotes, 2008-03-25: 14:19:00
Okay, stache just privately pointed out that there IS, in fact, curbside recycling on my street, and he expressed surprise that I did not know about recycling numbers. I, apparently, am a recylidiot. Or an ecolodork. Or . . . you fill it in. - doseydotes, 2008-03-25: 15:26:00
wow - I think James might have (quite litter/ally)saved a little part of the planet today by choosing such a green definition. No more recylaments doseydotes. - Jabberwocky, 2008-03-25: 15:44:00
I'll be calling the City first thing tomorrow morning to ask for a bin. I'm . . . so . . . ashamed. - doseydotes, 2008-03-25: 17:54:00
Ashaamed, nay! I once thought that the triangular-shaped chasing arrows meant Danger! Crushing this plastic container may cause serious arrow-like injury. - purpleartichokes, 2008-03-25: 19:08:00
Great word - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-25: 20:07:00
Clever creations — love it! - Tigger, 2008-03-25: 23:30:00
----------------------------
Recycoanalysis
Created by: karenanne
Pronunciation: ree SIKE oh ahn AL uh sis
Sentence: The amount of recycoanalysis that Ann Ziety goes through just to decide where to put some of her refuse and discarded items makes it almost a second job. It can probably be traced to the fact that her parents are huge environmentalists and were recycling back in the 70's, before it was cool or even all that convenient. All they ever read when she was a child was "Mother Earth" and the Sierra Club magazine, which they then pressed into pellets and burned in their wood-burning fireplace. Ann never feels that she can measure up to her parents' high standards. Even today, they pick through the neighbors' trash and re-sort it into the proper recycling containers. Their neighbors say fondly that they put the "mental" in "environmental." For example, if Ann's mother were reading today's Verbotomy, she would be quick to point out that, of course, used paper towels, as well as napkins and coffee filters, should be COMPOSTED.
Etymology: recycle + psychoanalysis
Strashed
Created by: readerwriter
Pronunciation: st-rah-sh-t
Sentence: One Tuesday morning, after hauling her final recycling bin to the curb, Camilla felt so strashed by the process of sorting through what was to go where, she fell in front of the large garbage truck as it barrelled towards the curb. Her dying thoughts were wondering what bin they would put her in.
Etymology: A verb. A combination of STRESSED and TRASHED
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Perfect word! - silveryaspen, 2009-01-15: 12:30:00
----------------------------
Conrefusion
Created by: Biscotti
Pronunciation: kon-ref-ew-zhun
Sentence: Jack was in conrefusion when the city made a new ordinance that paper could not be put out to the street in a paper bag; instead it had to be put in a city approved styrofoam bin. The bins always ended up breaking about once a month; causing great conrefusion and suffering for the citizens of the city.
Etymology: Confusion (not understanding) + Refuse (garbage or trash)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Great ending twist in your last sentence that gives your verboticism the double meaning beyond the two meaninngs of both words in your etymology. Very clever! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 13:03:00
----------------------------
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James
stache - 2008-03-25: 02:10:00
I love the "IDEAS" bin.
Thanks stache. That's the bin where I put out my old ideas for recycling. ~ James
Jamagra - 2008-03-25: 08:07:00
James... maybe you could recycle those ideas my way? Love the cartoon and the word, but today... I got nothin'.
Jamagra - 2008-03-25: 09:10:00
Oh! Thought of something. I'm good now!
remistram - 2008-03-25: 10:23:00
got our massive bin last week...process is a bit more streamlined, am happy now!
purpleartichokes - 2008-03-25: 11:15:00
Lucky you, remi... our community recycling consists of loading the stuff up in your car and taking it to the recycling center on one of the few days/hours that they happen to be open. Sucks. I did get a FREE compost bin from our state env. protection folks. $80 value. My mother (and only my mother) is so proud!
My Rottin' Poem
I love my compost pile!
It thrills me to the bone
To think that all that wilted slop
Will enhance the crops I've grown!
I garden with a passion,
And I compost with a zeal.
I collect the coffee grounds at work
And cherish every peel.
In my cellar I compost in winter
Much to my son's dismay.
Though sweet to me, the smell can chase
Unwanted guests away.
My pile in the summer
Is a another sad slop story.
The dog next door gulps the gourmet treat,
Then regurgitates... quite gory.
The peels get strewn about my lawn
By some midnight compost thief.
I try to promptly pick up the stuff,
Before the neighbors give me grief.
The egg-shells never make it
To calcify my plants.
The birds steal most of the precious shards
Or they get toted off by ants.
My composting efforts without a bin
Have been daunting, to say the least.
By the time the stuff finally starts to rot,
It gets eaten by some beast.
So you see, kind folks at DEP
Why it's for a bin I pray.
If I can clean up my compost act,
The neighbors might let me stay!
silveryaspen - 2008-03-25: 13:09:00
Funtastic rhyme and reasoning!
Hey purple, I figured you loved vegetables, and guessed you were a dedicated composter, but composting in your basement??? Yikes!! Maybe that's why your shower curtain is covered in mildew. ~ James
Jamagra - 2008-03-25: 17:25:00
Purple, I am very proud of you too! You grow, girl!
purpleartichokes - 2008-03-25: 18:21:00
Um, yeah, I actually did compost in the basement in a garbage can. Apparently, I didn't add enough "browns" to the mix, cuz when I dumped it in the spring, the neighborhood smelled like a cesspool for days. ...oops. Thanks Jamagra! I'm gonna try my hand at a giant punkin this year! James - thanks for the idea. I bet that shower curtain junk would compost nicely!
arrrteest - 2008-03-25: 18:37:00
Great poem, too! I used to have a worm composting bin. At least the kids thought it was cool.
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James
greentard
AlenaTable - 2018-06-01: 03:13:00
Широкий ассортимент биопрепаратов для перерабатывающих предприятий и сельского хозяйства
Tamaratequera - 2018-06-01: 18:07:00
Древторг Woodtrade, пиломатериаl