Vote for the best verboticism.

'I wish this tree was dead.'

DEFINITION: v. To ignore anything positive and focus your energy on problems, disasters, and whatever bad news you find. n. A person who searches for, and feeds on, other people's weaknesses, failures and mistakes.

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Verboticisms

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Schadendfraudster

Created by: galwaywegian

Pronunciation: schad en frawd stur

Sentence: She was a total schadenfraudster. the onlt time she use the word "good", was to precede "grief"

Etymology: schadenfreude, fraudster

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Negathlete

Created by: Direwuff

Pronunciation:

Sentence: " Trying to increase their negaptitude and kenophobia, the negathletes of all persuasion seem intent on proving their ignorance this final week of the election." excerpt from a conversation I overheard while eavesdropping on myself...

Etymology: Combination of negative and athlete to create a noun for an an active negative participant.

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Focuss

Created by: galwaywegian

Pronunciation: ffff oh kuss

Sentence: her focuss had everyone cussing before long

Etymology: focus cuss

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Attackonist

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: at tak on ist

Sentence: She just could not help herself. Dee Strucktiff was an attackonist. Nothing pleased her and she was not shy in expressing her negative viewpoint to anyone. The staff in shops and restaurants dreaded her patronage. She was not shy about expressing her dismay at the high prices, inferior quality of goods and poor, careless service. Things were always better in the old days. She was so beligerent, she even drove away her only daughter, Joy, into the arms of a man she thought unworthy of her, just to escape her ranting mother. Joy's husband, Howie Hertz, was a gentle, kindly man who took pity on poor Joy. Dee did not even realize there was no Joy in her life anymore until it was too late and the pair had eloped. Dee fed off bad news like a vulture on carrion. Her family motto was: "She who thinks the worst is never disappointed!"

Etymology: Attack (an offensive move in a sport or game ;strong criticism; attack someone physically or emotionally) & Antagonist (indicating opposition or resistance;incapable of harmonious association;arousing animosity or hostility;opposing or neutralizing or mitigating an effect by contrary action)

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COMMENTS:

Attackonists are people we avoid like the plague. How well you portrayed them in your sentence and last line! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-21: 09:31:00

Nosila, Howie Hertz was powerless to help Joy from Dee Strucktiff's Attackonist attitude~ You are so very creative :) I ALWAYS enjoy reading your sentences!!!! Great job! - abrakadeborah, 2009-04-22: 05:43:00

Cheers, silvery & deb...love your contributions as well...may the creative force always be with you both! - Nosila, 2009-04-25: 22:07:00

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Optimissed

Created by: galwaywegian

Pronunciation: ohp tim issst

Sentence: the moodpecker is one of the lesser spotted species of optimissed

Etymology: optimist, missed

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COMMENTS:

clever - mweinmann, 2009-04-21: 09:33:00

Short, right to the point ... both the sentence and your word ... Outstanding! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-21: 09:49:00

Cute and clever. - Mustang, 2009-04-21: 17:22:00

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Depressimist

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: de pres sim ist

Sentence: Woody was a pileated woodpecker and a depressimist. Nothing could please him. He even hated his species' name...it made him sound like he always had piles. He wood birch about his troubles all day, but the other birds soon learned to twitter him for his negative talk. One brave, elder Robin finally had enough and told him, "Woody, spruce yourself up and quit pining, yew son of a beech. We know that your bark is worse than your bite. All this depressimism will alder you permanently fir sure, unless you learn to spruce up your outlook. Be happy yew are free and can fly. If yew don't like it here, yew can pack your trunk and fly away. Yew wood be less bore-ing and a lot more poplar, if yew quit making such an ash of yourself...oakay?!"

Etymology: Depress (lower someone's spirits; make downhearted;lessen the activity or force of) & Pessimist (a person who expects the worst)

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COMMENTS:

karenanne Perfect word - it should have an entry in Webster's! - karenanne, 2010-11-03: 22:34:00

karenanne I voted for yours, but it turned out I hadn't been logged in. Well, you have the points, at least! - karenanne, 2010-11-04: 18:00:00

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Snipercritical

karenanne

Created by: karenanne

Pronunciation: SNY per CRIT ih cul

Sentence: My aunt Prissy is usually looking for mistakes or flaws, real or imagined, so she can complain about how she could have done something so much better, if someone had only asked her. And she somehow manages to blame every problem of her own on someone else. Even though she's been married five times, every one of the divorces was the man's fault. According to her, her adult children don't talk to her because "they are ungrateful and don't appreciate all the sacrifices I've made for them." More likely, her husbands left and most of the people in the family avoid her because she is so snipercitical, always waiting to take potshots from the sidelines.

Etymology: sniper + hypercritical

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COMMENTS:

ah, the relationship assassin... - Nosila, 2010-11-04: 01:35:00

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Flawyer

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: flôyər

Sentence: Tony entered the field of law with high hopes of making the world a better place. What he soon discovered was that he was really in a world of flaw enforcement. When somebody messes up he makes money. Once he got all of that Don Quixote nonsense out of system he became a real flawyer.

Etymology: flaw (imperfection) + lawyer (a person who practices or studies law)

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Fixhate

Created by: Biscotti

Pronunciation: f-icks-h-ayt

Sentence: Joey was such a fixhate, always making those around him feel miserable. Even in public, he would be told "Have a nice day" and promptly responded, "Why should I?". He went so far as to paint his cubicle at work all black, just so his co-workers would feel gloomy too.

Etymology: Fixate (focus or obsess on something) + hate (anger or disdain for something)

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COMMENTS:

Very Strong and Powerful Word! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-21: 09:40:00

Biscotti,what a great word! I'm visualizing that black cublicle...lol :) - abrakadeborah, 2009-04-22: 05:55:00

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Ghoultures

Created by: silveryaspen

Pronunciation: ghoul churs

Sentence: Named after the devil in him, Sin Nick earned his living, by feeding on, and exploiting other people's weaknesses, failures, and mistakes ... by writing about them in the media, so all the world could see and hear about them, as well ... and feed upon such misfortune, too. People like Sin Nicks, Gloomy Guses, Worry Warts, Pessy Mists, Wet Blankets, Sca Vengers, and old Buzz Ards, and all their fallowers are ghoultures.

Etymology: GHOULISH, VULTURES. GHOULISH - morbidly fascinated and obsessively interested in weakness, failure, disaster, death and anything repulsive. VULTURES - birds or people who prey upon, and feed upon, the weak, the failing, the misfortunate. Culture - groups of people with shared attitudes and beliefs, such as the ghoultures, the cynics (sin nicks) who feed upon the misfortunate. Fall-lowers for followers.

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-04-21: 00:01:01
Today's definition was inspired by one of my favorite university professors who would respond to complainers with what he said was an old Japanese proverb -- "In among the cherry blossoms, the woodpecker hunts for a dead tree." ~ James

silveryaspen - 2009-04-21: 01:43:00
Like today's definition and cartoon, that Japanese proverb, provides plenty of food for thought .... naughty knotty thoughts ... until I want to thought naught about it any more!

silveryaspen - 2009-04-21: 09:56:00
This thought provoking definition and cartoon certainly inspired every one today! Kudos to the professor and James and all the verbotomists who played today. All are terrific sentences and verbotomies, today.

readerwriter - 2009-04-21: 10:33:00
Do I live in the wrong hemisphere or does my day begin too late???? Either that, or you all are up past midnight EST! Fun word today to play with. How you do it, James, I will never know...you are an artiste!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-04-21: 13:27:00
Thank you silvery and readerwriter. Fortunately, there not a lot of woodpeckers among us, but apparently there are a lot of night owls. ~ James

abrakadeborah - 2009-04-22: 06:03:00
This word and cartoon today was very descriptive! I LOVE the old Japanese proverb you added "In among the cherry blossoms, the woodpecker hunts for a dead tree." :) I have known a FEW toxic people like this in my life~