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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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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Sinnic

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: sin nik

Sentence: Woody was a sinnic in the worst sense of the word. If your actions did not benefit him directly, he thought you had no business being on the planet!

Etymology: Sin (commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake) & Cynic (someone who is critical of the motives of others)

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Lugubriate

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: loo-GOO-bree-ayt

Sentence: Even on the sunniest days and rosiest occasions Bertha could be counted upon to lugubriate, searching through all the days events and news for the downbeat and negative offerings.

Etymology: 'Lugubrious' (mournful, dismal, or gloomy, esp. in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner) with suffix '-ate' (As the ending of a verb, it means to make, to cause, to act, etc.; as, to propitiate (to make propitious); to animate (to give life to)

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COMMENTS:

Saying lugubriate has harsh sounds just like these hard people! Easy to remember, spot on the definition ... another Exceptional Great Create! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-21: 09:47:00

like the GOO-d word play in your pronunciation, too! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-22: 22:16:00

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Pessimonger

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: pes-uh-muhng-ger

Sentence: Elliot is such a pessimonger that if you were to give him a winning lottery ticket, he would complain that too much paper is wasted producing the tickets.

Etymology: pessimist (person who expects bad outcome) + monger (dealer in goods)

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Euphoraptor

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: eu-for-rap-tor

Sentence: Janet walked out into the beautiful spring air, taking in the delicate scent of cherry blossoms and feeling the warm sunshine. She stood there smiling, forgetting her winter depression and feeling hopeful for the first time in months. Suddenly Andrew, the euphoraptor, began to shout, "Where's my damn allergy pills?" "Where's my socks?" "Where's my damn chain saw?" "I've decided to cut that cherry tree down so I can put my bacci court there." Janet looked at the picked carcass of her happy mood and sighed, "Your pills are in the cabinet, your socks are in the drawer, and I sold your chain saw last week at the yard sale for 15 bucks."

Etymology: Euphoria: state of well-being and happiness + Raptor: one who seizes by force, rape; a bird of prey

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COMMENTS:

Your verbotomy euphoraptor, and your sentence, especially the words 'leaves behind the picked carcass of her happy mood' is SUPERB descriptive and metaphorical writing! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-21: 09:38:00

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Negaferret

fabdiva

Created by: fabdiva

Pronunciation: neg-ah-fair-et

Sentence: It did not go unnoticed that Cindy spent an inordinate amount of time at the emergency desk. Only a negaferret would volunteer on their rostered day off.

Etymology: negative - not optimistic. Harmful. ferret - to look around in search of something

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Woewallow

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: wōwälō

Sentence: Willy watches the news with great interest. He loves to woewallow. If there is bad news he wants to share it. Disasters, tragedies, agony? A new study that finds your favorite food as a possible cancer cause. He's there! He firmly believes that every silver lining is wrapped in a big beautiful grey cloud.

Etymology: woe (great sorrow or distress) + wallow ( indulge in an unrestrained way)

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COMMENTS:

You met my dad? - wayoffcenter, 2009-04-21: 07:35:00

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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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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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| Comments and Points

Bleakbeaker

Created by: abrakadeborah

Pronunciation: bleak-beak-er

Sentence: Cardinella was such a sad old fella he would bleak around to bring everybody down. To him there was never a sunny or happy day...he managed to find always a spot of gray...as he would "bleakbeaker" to make everyone weaker! Draining out any happiness... trying to make others feel like a mell of a hess.

Etymology: Bleak:Providing no encouragement; depressing,gloomy and somber. Beak:Slang a person's nose or the projecting structure forming the mandibles of a bird, especially one that is strong, sharp, and useful in striking and tearing. Bleaker:Slang for a negative person that noses into peoples lives with a striking negativity to tear down their happy moods.

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COMMENTS:

luv your spoonerism! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-22: 22:26:00

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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~