Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To exercise power through the strategic use of personal insults, while pretending to offer encouragement. n. A leader who motivates people by insulting them.
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.
Goaddigger
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: gode/dig/ur
Sentence: Our new MD is such a goaddigger that he simultaneously hurls insults and backslaps with lightening speed, "Builds moral" he screams as he steps over a flattened colleague
Etymology: goad + digger (supervisor) + gold digger (bully, vixen, tease)
Disencourage
Created by: rephil
Pronunciation: dis-en-CUR-adj
Sentence: Martha made it a point to disencourage everyone in her office before noon every day.
Etymology: dis -- not; encourage -- to support
Demeanipulash
Created by: metrohumanx
Pronunciation: DEE-meen-NIP-yoo-lash
Sentence: I watched with sadness as my co-workers shuffled meekly to the multipurpose chamber for yet another meaningless motivational meeting with the horrid hag. This would be the last time she would DEMEANIPULASH the library staff. Today, her snidespotism would end. Her cretin-nice remarks and jocular jibes had had crushed the spirit of too many good trenchmates. Now she would pay. As the belittlement began, I silently switched on the timer that would detonate the briefcase full of gelegnite after we left for our coffee break..............SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS !
Etymology: DEMEAn+maNIPULate+lASH=DEMEANIPULASH___ Demean:to debase or degrade; Middle English demenen, from Anglo-French demener to conduct, from de- + mener to lead, from Latin minare to drive, from minari to threaten___ Manipulate: to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage___ Lash: to punish with a whip; a cutting remark
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
http://drminz.com/DR._MINZ_EYES_AND_EARS_INC/THE_BEARS.html - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:05:00
disregard previous link-it's incomplete. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:27:00
Try this one instead:
http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/aug/firesign/ - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:32:00
----------------------------
Notivational
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: no/ti/vay/shun/al
Sentence: June was so insecure in her position as team leader, that each year when it was her turn to "pump up" her team at the company's annual banquet, she would make sure to have the best notivational speech prepared. Armed with about 15 minutes of subliminal messages, she would also politely reject any ideas and suggestions with a smile, followed by a rolling of the eyes as she pointed to the next raised hand.
Etymology: Motivation: Stimulation of a salesperson's, dealer's, or employee's innate desires and personal objectives by a program of recognition. Notivational: The "antithesis" of the above. :)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
subtle yet sweet....powerpoint to the people! - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:12:00
Good word. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-08-06: 04:56:00
----------------------------
Unspiratarian
Created by: jadenguy
Pronunciation: un spire a terian
Sentence: On the high seas, it was often that Horatio asked himself what his greater destiny was, his raison d’etre. The captain always told him that he wasn't as dumb as he looked, that the only good decision he'd ever made was to find himself a place onboard because the real world would eat him alive, that keeping storage room clean was one thing even he couldn't screw up, that at least he had more facial hair than his wife, but not much. This unspiritarian had all but destroyed the ferocity of crew, but Horatio continued to believe that this was where he needed to be, that great things were going to happen. Few and far between have there been greater moments of forsight.
Etymology: un + inspire + totalitarian
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
wow, that was a long'un. - jadenguy, 2007-06-12: 09:57:00
perhaps he should have become a unspirational unmotivational speaker - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 12:01:00
----------------------------
Procurstinator
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: pro_CURS-tin-ayt=er
Sentence: Elaine was a hard core procurstinator, using insults that she dressed up as compliments in order to motivate her staff.
Etymology: Blend of prefix 'pro' (for, or positive) and 'curse' (v. to swear or condemn). Play on the word procrastinator
Snideypraise
Created by: TJayzz
Pronunciation: Sny-dee-pray-ze
Sentence: Rebecca thought she was a great boss, she didn't even realise by the way she encouraged her staff by mixing encouragement and insults in the same sentence, her staff could actually see right through her and knew all along that she was using the snideypraise method.
Etymology: Snidey(derogatory or mocking in an indirect way) + Praise(to express warm approval of) ORIGIN preiser Old French to prize, from Latin pretium 'price' = Snideypraise
Facadeist
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: fass add ist
Sentence: When Joan Collins played Alexis I-don't-Care-ington Coldby on "Dynasty" everyone thought she was a great actress, as well as an 80's clothes-horse supreme. She could work a room of naive men and fool millions of viewers. That is until those cat-fight scenes with her arch-rival, he ex Blake's new wife,Krystle (Linda Evans)...then they realized that those kissy, kissy, let's do lunch real soon, have your people call my people overtures were the mark of a real facadeist. Yes, they should have named the series after her, Die-Nasty!
Etymology: facade (a showy misrepresentation intended to conceal something unpleasant or being two-faced, not showing what you really feel) & sadist (someone who obtains pleasure from inflicting pain on others)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Latent loathing lingers. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:17:00
Spot On ! - Wordotwist, 2008-08-05: 09:34:00
Great word AND soap opera sniglet! - lumina, 2008-08-05: 12:26:00
----------------------------
Powerdissplay
Created by: guesser
Pronunciation: Power + dissplay
Sentence: To powerdissplay your employee in front of your customers is an awful thing to do.
Etymology: Power (of a boss)+ Diss (slang --> to put down + play (display)
Mockliment
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /ˈmɑkləˌmɛnt/
Sentence: It wasn't the fact that he mocklimented everyone that was so annoying; it was the fact that he seemed to think everyone was too stupid to notice.
Etymology: From compliment + mock
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
good one ErWenn - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 12:04:00
son does that to me all the time. At least now I've got a word for it! Thanx! - administraitor, 2007-06-12: 15:08:00
----------------------------
Comments:
The second step in Timothy Johnson's GUST process is Understanding. And apparently, based on the number of definitions we received on this topic, everybody understands what it is like to have a bad boss. Today's definition was suggested by ohwtepph , suzanne, and remistram. Thank you ohwtepph, suzanne, remistram, and Timothy! ~ James
lumina - 2008-08-07: 13:49:00
Wow! So fun and an honor to have come up with the "winning" word. "I'd like to thank the Academy, my parents and of course Jesus." ha Thanks to the voters! (she says as the music starts playing and the tap dancing man with the hook from the gong show comes into view...)
Today's definition was suggested by ohwtepph. Thank you ohwtepph. ~ James