Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n., Cautionary advice provided by parents to their children, often makes no logical sense but carries enough emotional weight to affect the child's behavior. v. To warn of danger through the judicious use of exaggeration.
Verboticisms
Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...
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Rugrant
Created by: purpleartichokes
Pronunciation: rug-rant
Sentence: To be an effective scarent, one must concoct enough plausible rugrants to guide the child safely to adolescence, such as the once popular "if you don't eat your crusts, you won't grow hair on your chest."
Etymology: rug rat, rant
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COMMENTS:
Fortunately I ate my crusts. Great word! - Scrumpy, 2007-09-28: 07:46:00
scarent's a good word too - Jabberwocky, 2007-09-28: 15:16:00
Great word. - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-30: 18:04:00
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Dominprations
Created by: readerwriter
Pronunciation: DOM-in-pray-shuns
Sentence: Mother Hen, like most parental units, was given to dominprations whenever she got the chance, so worried was she that Little Clucky wouldn't make it to 12 weeks, his age of personal acountability. But, what did L.C. know--he was an adolescent and a major risk taker.
Etymology: From dominate, Latin domis, to exert supreme control + prate, idle chatter
Emochide
Created by: AlohaJo
Pronunciation: E-mo-ch-I-de
Sentence: The boy, after disobeying his father's warning, had to sit through a lengthy emochide.
Etymology: emotional+ chide
Radmomition
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: rad MOM ish in
Sentence: Growing up in an Irish household,the 6 siblings were all raised on a solid diet of good old radmomition. This included an assorted mix of superstitions (spilling salt requires you to throw some over your left shoulder), Aesop's fables(remember that grasshopper and the ant?), lessons from the Bible(Thou shalt not lie about who ate the baking out of the freezer) and old wives' tales(if you tell a lie, your nose will grow), guaranteed to scare even the toughest know-it-all kid into submission. It was never really understood how putting a hat on the bed or opening an umbrella indoors would bring about bad luck; how stepping on a crack could break your mother's back or how licking a frosty metal fence would make your tongue stick to it. (Okay, that on was really true, as one brother found out the hard way)! Yet all these tools were used by their mother to great effectiveness. People marvelled at how well-behaved 6 kids could be out in public. But one look from their Mom's omnipresent eye could nail them to a couch for hours on end, quietly, without a hint of physical persuasion. Santa's elves were watching you just before Christmas time (I mean really, weren't they too busy making toys?); God would be mad to learn you did not put your coins on the offering plate in Church (like does he count it all?)If there was no known adage to affect a situation, she simply would make one up. It was not until they were into their teens that they discovered the Ice Cream Man going around the neighbourhood played his twinkly songs when he still had goodies left to sell. They had always been told that the music was a sign he was sold out. The irony was that all these siblings went through higher education, got responsible jobs and used exactly the same radmomition tactics on their own children and grandchildren...May you be half an hour in Heaven before the Devil knows you're dead!
Etymology: Radical (a person who has out there ideas or opinions;used of opinions and actions far beyond the norm) & Admonition (cautionary advice about something imminent;counsel in terms of someone's behavior;warn strongly; put on guard) & Mom (female parent)& Superstition (an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear;folklore;omens of good and bad luck)
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COMMENTS:
Oh MAN!!!!...You mean the ice cream man WASN'T sold out? - metrohumanx, 2008-08-29: 05:56:00
"Mom's omnipresent eye"....great turn of a phrase, Nosette. :) - metrohumanx, 2008-08-29: 08:11:00
Actual advice from an Alaskan native: Do NOT try to lick the glaciers. - Tigger, 2008-08-29: 10:34:00
Great "sentence!" :) - lumina, 2008-08-29: 15:46:00
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Hyperpoultry
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: hi per pol tree
Sentence: "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" is what young Eggbert had heard since he was hatched. This was an example of the hyperpoultry his parents used on him to control his natural curiousity. If he did not die from fowl play, he hoped instead to become a fryer in a monastery, if he could pullet it off!
Etymology: Hyperbole (extravagant exaggeration) & Poultry (fowl,a domesticated gallinaceous bird)
Whopperstopper
Created by: kerryb
Pronunciation: wopur stopur
Sentence: My parents never failed to verbalize any number of whopperstoppers in order to curb my ongoing misbehavior.
Etymology: whopper: A ridiculous and ostentatiously bodacious lie or misnomer that would violate the bounds of belief beyond any child older than 5! stopper: A metaphorical line in the sand that is designed to cease unwanted action or behavior.
Madvice
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: mad/vice
Sentence: Yeah he was at it again. Dad, flappin' his chops about how he "had to walk a mile to school in the snow," "shine shoes for lunch money" and "wear grandpa's suit jacket to his 8th grade graduation." Patrick learned to tune both Dad AND Mom out the day he realized they were offering nothing but useless madvice once they started digging into their, "WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE" files.
Etymology: mad + advice. Parents short fuse when it comes to their "spoiled brats" whining...
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COMMENTS:
Amen...but of course we do the same things to our own kids...When I was in school, talk about computers was pure science fiction...why they had barely invented tv's or phones that weren't party lines! Cheers,lumina - Nosila, 2008-08-29: 20:08:00
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Guidunce
Created by: remistram
Pronunciation: ghy-duhns
Sentence: "Do as I say, not as I do" was the most important guidunce her Mum ever gave her.
Etymology: guidance + dunce
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COMMENTS:
great word - Jabberwocky, 2007-09-28: 12:06:00
Great Word! Accurate sentence in a lot of cases! - Scrumpy, 2007-09-28: 13:22:00
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Mytherhood
Created by: Scrumpy
Pronunciation: mith-er-hood
Sentence: Little Timmy believed the mytherhoods that his parents told him. He was completely suprised when he grew up and wasn't blind.
Etymology: myth + motherhood/fatherhood
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COMMENTS:
Hehe!! Great word too! - purpleartichokes, 2007-09-28: 13:12:00
Great word! :) - vixphilia, 2007-09-28: 16:53:00
Funny sentence, excellent word. Your "suburban legend" comment- also hysterical. - ScrabbledEgg, 2007-09-28: 18:02:00
Great word: bonza of a blend! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-30: 18:03:00
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Humumbug
Created by: vixphilia
Pronunciation: hum-MUM-bug
Sentence: Mum was feding me her usual humumbug: "If you keep making ugly faces,it will freeze like that!"
Etymology: Humbug: pretentious or silly talk Mum: Mother
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James