Verboticism: Catafear
DEFINITION: To be so afraid of failure that you become paralyzed -- unable to move, respond or even say a word.
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Riskfreeze
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /'risk-frEz/
Sentence: She was so timid that even at Baskin Robbins, the possibility of picking a flavor she might not enjoy would cause her to riskfreeze.
Etymology: From risk + freeze
Catafear
Created by: BMott
Pronunciation: Kat - u - feer
Sentence: Bob headed for the stage and then froze with catafear, he knew he could never give the speech without stuttering.
Etymology: Cata - From Catatonic- An abnormal condition characterized by stupor, and either rigidity or extreme flexibility of the limbs. Fear - A reason for dread or apprehension.
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Errimmobilis
Created by: cryptc
Pronunciation:
Sentence:
Etymology: Error, and Immobilis from latin.
Rigorated
Created by: moltentim
Pronunciation: rig-or-ate-ed
Sentence: Sam became rigorated at the sight of Jane.
Etymology: rigor+intimidated
Anxipetrified
Created by: Bulletchewer
Pronunciation: anks-i-pet-re-fyd
Sentence: The would-be model was so anxipetrified, due to the tiniest amount of flab around her even tinier waist, that her mother had to slap her in the face several times to get a response.
Etymology: From "anxious/anxiety" and "petrified". Note that "petrified" is particularly appropriate here, for the derivation is "turn to stone".
Stiffabled
Created by: Antimus
Pronunciation: stiff-abled
Sentence: She looked at him in such a way, he became so stiffabled that he fell off his chair
Etymology: stiff (as in can't move) and unable, in past tense.
Numbskulled
Created by: quippingqueen
Pronunciation: num/sculd
Sentence: He was so numbskulled that his friends didn't know whether he was a nerd, a nimrod, or just a nincompoop.
Etymology: variation of numskull, circa 1724, a higgledy-piggledy muddleheaded person
Skierdycatatonic
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: skēərdēkatətänik
Sentence: Tim took his first-ever trip to a ski resort. He was told it would be a great place to meet young women. He was only one step beyond the lift when the pretty instructor smiled at him. He immediately went skierdycatatonic. It took 4 instructors to get him out of his skis and into the lodge.
Etymology: ski (travel over snow on skis) + scaredy-cat (a timid person) + catatonic (in an immobile or unresponsive stupor)
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COMMENTS:
brilliant! - galwaywegian, 2011-01-25: 10:21:00
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Fretrified
Created by: urbanwookie
Pronunciation: fret-riff-ride
Sentence: Thinking of the possible consequences of screwing up his final examination paper had Tony so completely fretrified, he failed to write a single word...
Etymology: fret + petrified
Emotocomitosis
Created by: mickey666
Pronunciation: eemoto-comit-osis
Sentence: Wracked with emotocomitosis, he pushed out his arms to shake hands before instantly drawing it back
Etymology: emoto - connected to matters emotional; comitosis - in a frozen, lifeless state