Verboticism: Sightelephant
DEFINITION: n., An ugly decorative item or article of clothing received from friends or relatives, which is kept stored away but ready to be pulled out at a moment's notice in anticipation of a return visit. v., To temporarily place an old, and perhaps unattractive gift in a place of honor.
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Sightelephant
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Rugly
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: rəglē
Sentence: It was a wedding gift from Aunt Martha. It’s hideous. Nonetheless with her impending visit, the handmade rugly thing is front and center in the foyer. As long as it is on the floor, the dogs insist on entering and exiting the back door.
Etymology: rug (a floor covering of shaggy or woven material, typically not extending over the entire floor) + ugly (unpleasant or repulsive, esp. in appearance)
Gifthoarse
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: gift hors
Sentence: It had become a tradition at Christmas as much as decorating the tree and putting up lights. It meant Mother was coming to stay for the holidays and although we loved her dearly and looked forward to seeing her, we had to dig out that painting she had given us many years ago and hang it over the fireplace. It stayed the rest of the yhear in the attic. That's because it was painted on black velvet, with glow-in-the-dark paints, framed inside a gaudy rococco gilt frame. Yes, being his #1 fan, Mother had bought us a portrait of Elvis. Wearing a white jumpsuit, sneering into the microphone in his hand and tilting his pelvis our way! You could push a button at the bottom of the frame and tinny music of him singing would belt out. Our friends who visited over the years hooted and hollered at the tacky image. Neighbours would make the pilgrimmage each year to see The King. He was a gifthoarse that made people laugh and sing along. We always said we would pull him out for Mother's visit, so as not to hurt her feelings, but one of these years old age would overtake her and we would no longer be obligated to carry on the charade. It was then that we realized that the song he sang from the portrait, "I'll have a Blue Christmas without you" would become very poignant to us.
Etymology: gift (a present, something given) & hoarse (deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion) & old saying: "Never look a gift horse in the mouth" old proverb which means don't question how you acquired something or what it cost. The advice given is be grateful for your good fortune and don't look for more by examining it to assess its value.
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COMMENTS:
Awwww. How moving. Nice work, Lady. - metrohumanx, 2008-12-16: 02:40:00
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Unbelievabauble
Created by: libertybelle
Pronunciation: un-bee-leave-uh-baw-bull
Sentence: Martin could see Cheryl's car coming down his street. He immediately lept into action. Ordinarily, he would have been prepared and had the hand sequined tapestry of Liberace taken out and hung well in advance of her visit, but as this was an unannounced drop-in, he had to scurry to unpack the unbelievabauble from the depths of the cellar storage room.
Etymology: unbelievable + bauble ok... this was my submission last time too... but i couldn't think of another.
Eyestore
Created by: TJayzz
Pronunciation: i-store
Sentence: When Dave's Auntie Joan had given him the hideous orange and green vase for Christmas last year he smiled broadly and thanked her very much telling her it was beautiful. However as soon as she had left he wrapped up the eyestore and put it straight into the loft. Auntie Joan is due to visit again this year on christmas day, so the plan is to get in the loft on Christmas eve and put the offending object in pride of place on the mantlepiece in the hope that it fools her into thinking that it has been there all year.
Etymology: Play on Eyesore
Kinschy
Created by: bzav1
Pronunciation: kin - shee
Sentence: We had to put out several of the kinschy gifts my family had given to us over the years before they arrived over the holidays.
Etymology: kin + Kitschy
Dissedplay
Created by: Niktionary
Pronunciation: disstplay
Sentence: "I hate this sweater! But my grandma gave it to me, and I'm having dinner with her. I have to dissedplay it. I hope we go someplace dark!"
Etymology: Slang term diss and display
Embhellishment
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: emb/hell/ish/ment
Sentence: Sally prided herself on her home's sleek minimilist decor and cringed in horror every time she had to bedeck the bathroom in the fuzzy pink acrylic toilet embhellishments her best friend had given her.
Etymology: embellishment + hellish
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COMMENTS:
Nice - TJayzz, 2008-12-16: 13:14:00
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Horribowl
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: hawr-uh-bohl
Sentence: Tom's mom is coming to visit for Christmas so out of the closet comes the horribowl she gave him last year.
Etymology: Horrible (extremely unpleasant; deplorable; disgusting) + bowl (hollow, concave container)
Tempresent
Created by: drkesper
Pronunciation:
Sentence: Where is the box with our tempresents. Aunt Margret is visiting...
Etymology:
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COMMENTS:
Perfect!!! - Niktionary, 2007-12-12: 12:05:00
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Prezzidigitate
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: PREZZ-ee-DIJ-ee-TATE
Sentence: Bob had just put away the kitschsake toaster-clock his mother had given him many years before, when he heard the news that his mother-in-law was on her way over to his place. Quickly, and in order not to offend her, he rummaged through an old trunk in his garage to find the indoor sundial she had given him as a birthday present. Fortunately for him, with good luck and a dash of good memory, he found it and prezzidigitated it, as a dragonsop, into a place of prominence and importance for her to see.
Etymology: Blend of PREZZI: (slang for present, gift.) & PRESTIDIGITATE: to be manually dexterios in the execution of tricks ; sleight of hand. KITSCHSAKE: Conflation of KITSCH(from German)meaning: gaudy, trashy objects or items and (OE) SAKE, as in "keepsake", meaning an item kept for the sake of the giver. DRAGONSOP: DRAGON-Slang term for mother-in-law or wife; SOP: Anything given (or done)to pacify; -- so called from the sop given to Cerberus, as related in mythology.
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COMMENTS:
Works like magic for me! - silveryaspen, 2008-12-16: 22:36:00
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