Verboticism: Spearaphrase

'Yes we can! Yes she can!'

DEFINITION: v. To adopt other people's words, phrases and linguistic stylings, and then try to make them your own by subtlety altering the syntax. n. A borrowed and butchered phrase

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Snatchphrase

Created by: Tigger

Pronunciation: /snach-freyz/

Sentence: The press was up in arms over the latest speech from Sillory Flintskin, for using a catchphrase of her rival, Flack Odrama, and turning it into a snatchphrase by stealing it and slightly rearranging the words. She had changed it from "Change we can believe in" to "We can believe in change."

Etymology: Play on the word 'Catchphrase'; Snatch - to seize by a sudden or hasty grasp (from Middle Dutch, snacken "to snatch, chatter") + Phrase - a brief utterance or remark (from Greek, phrazein "to express, tell")

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COMMENTS:

is Flack Mel's brother? - Jabberwocky, 2008-04-25: 14:02:00

Cheers, Tigger...this is just the primaries, can we face the rest of it?? - Nosila, 2008-04-25: 22:14:00

Clever!! - TJayzz, 2008-04-28: 04:31:00

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Euphemeism

Created by: Rutilus

Pronunciation: You-for-me-isum

Sentence: Clarissa knew that she could always rely on her rivals' phrases to give her the inspiration to steal them and their thunder by turning them into her own euphemeisms.

Etymology: Combination of 'euphemism' + 'me'

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COMMENTS:

neat - Jabberwocky, 2008-04-25: 09:28:00

Just teaphetwoism and twopheteaism, mepheyouism and euphemeism alone... - Tigger, 2008-04-26: 13:20:00

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Usurparize

Created by: arrrteest

Pronunciation: you-serp-ah-rize

Sentence: Edwin hated his former co-worker who was now his boss. It was Edwin's ideas and work that Carl would usurparize and claim to be his own. He would change a word here or there to protect the guilty, but in the end, Edwin knew it was his ideas that got Carl where he was.

Etymology: usurp + plagiarize

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Plagiareyes

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: diss sin tax

Sentence: Hillary & Barack had verbally jousted in every state so far that they had been campaigning. They each had spies in the other's camp and would get a drift of the other's speech ideas before that speech was given. In this way, one could scoop the opponent's theme and words and leave the second presenter scrambling to come up with something else. Invariably, each would dysyntacks the other's words to the point that they made nonsensical rhetoric, which confused voters even more. Although guilty of it herself, Hillary decided to play Barack at his own game and threw the word dysyntacks into her next speech. She had the last laugh when Barack got up and announced a plan to eliminate the Dissin' Tax from the federal budget!

Etymology: Dysfunctional (failing to serve an adjustive or conducive to adjustment purpose) + Syntax (the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences) + Attacks ( take the initiative and go on the offensive) + Tax (make a charge against or accuse)

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COMMENTS:

I guess I cancelled the wrong word...Should read Dysyntacks, Oops! - Nosila, 2008-04-25: 01:11:00

Great punchline on your story though! - Tigger, 2008-04-25: 02:29:00

Betcha Hilary would talk about "sintax" when Bill's around! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-04-26: 19:02:00

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Echotheft

Created by: rebelvin

Pronunciation: echo+theft

Sentence: Time and again, all he did was echothieve, appropriating ideas from others at the meeting, offering no ideas of his own.

Etymology: echo+theft

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Malaproprietaryism

Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: mala/pro/pry/i/tary/ism

Sentence: He was nicknamed the "Butcher of Cavil" because of his inappropriate malaproprietaryisms.

Etymology: malapropism (use of a word in mistake dor for one sounding similar) + proprietary (held in private ownership)

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COMMENTS:

Shazam! That's a mouthful. lol - Mustang, 2008-04-25: 07:35:00

It appears you saw right through the butcher's rouge. - stache, 2008-04-25: 08:12:00

Sorry, 'dotes. - stache, 2008-04-25: 08:12:00

OZZIEBOB - 2008-04-25: 18:41:00 Very formal political term. Love " The Butcher of Cavil." - OZZIEBOB, 2008-04-25: 18:43:00

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Linguistickup

Created by: TJayzz

Pronunciation: Linn-gwiss-teecup

Sentence: Janet realised she had been the victim of a linguistickup but Dave was so cunning there was nothing she could do about it.

Etymology: Linguistic- (Language related )+ Stick-up (To steal, by way of) = Linguistickup

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Plagiorate

Created by: Raquelle

Pronunciation: Play-jor-ate

Sentence: The oratory competition would be a breeze, thought Michelle, what with her recent discovery of the online archive of speech transcripts. She would simply choose a published one, plagiorate it to suit her topic and present with utmost confidence.

Etymology: Plagiarism + Orate = to plagiarise one's oration

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Spearaphrase

Created by: bookowl

Pronunciation: speer/ah/fraze

Sentence: To spearaphrase is a sure fire way to mangle it.

Etymology: spear + paraphrase

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Replistate

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: REP - li - stait

Sentence: When Angeline would hear an opinon or a phrase she admired she would shamelessly replistate it in conversations with others and would try to give the impression that it was an original representation.

Etymology: Blend of state and replicate.

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COMMENTS:

clever - Jabberwocky, 2008-04-25: 09:26:00

Let's face it, the primaries go by one replistate after another...Cheers, Mustang - Nosila, 2008-04-25: 22:16:00

Ohh, good one. - Tigger, 2008-04-26: 13:24:00

Nice word. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-04-26: 18:54:00

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