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'Don't leave me out here! I'm not dead yet!'

DEFINITION: v., To put an unwanted houseplant, especially a seasonal or gift plant like a Poinsettia or Easter Lily, outdoors in hopes that it will die. n., An unwanted houseplant which has been left to nature.

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Verboticisms

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Aspidostracize

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: ass pid oss tra size

Sentence: Marvin's Mother-In-Law, Lily, finally went home after her 3 week visit. It was the longest 3 weeks of Marvin's life, as his Mother-in-law was only to eager to point out Marvin's short-comings in fixing up their new place. His wife, Fern, thought it was sweet that her mother had given them a lovely houseplant as a house-warming gift. The Aspidistra was attractive with healthy green foliage, but it constantly reminded Marvin of Lily, so he decided to aspidostracize it in the hopes it would die of neglect outside. It not only survived on the front porch, it thrived and luckily the climate was suitable for it year round. Pretty soon the entire front flower bed was populated with it's baby plants, which also flourished. But every time Marvin came near the plants, he felt they were watching him. They had pistils and they knew how to use them and they were planning to plant him outside soon, too.

Etymology: Aspidistra (evergreen perennial with large handsome basal leaves; grown primarily as a foliage houseplant...also known as Cast Iron Plant,Barroom Plant) & Ostracize (shun;banish;expel from a community or group)

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Explantriate

thegoatisbad

Created by: thegoatisbad

Pronunciation: ex-'plant-re-ate

Sentence: Unidentifiable dead stalks stood in haphazard rows, interrupted only by the occasional rotting heap of pumpkin or novelty plastic container. Each day Kimberly marched through this, her not garden, which was annually expanding westward and pushing her car closer and closer to the street. Kimberly's explantriation annoyed her neighbors, "it's an eyesore" complained Jared "and it's driving down the value of my house and it's driving me crazy!" Kimberly quipped: "the only real eyesore in this neighborhood is Jared's wife."

Etymology: plant (distinguished on the microscopic level by cell walls) + expatriate (to leave one's country)

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Floracide

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: FLOR-eh-side

Sentence: In a seemingly heartless attempt to commit floracide on an unwanted hideous tropical houseplant she had gotten as a gift, Gracie left it outdoors on the patio during the harshest part of the winter.

Etymology: 'Flora' (Plants considered as a group) with the suffix 'cide' (from Latin meaning “killer,” “act of killing,” used in the formation of compound words)

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Chrysanthenasia

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: krisanθənāzhə

Sentence: Lilly loves flowers. Unfortunately she has a black thumb. When her husband gave her a potted plant on her birthday it was an act of Chrysanthenasia.

Etymology: chrysanthemum (a popular plant of the daisy family, having brightly colored ornamental flowers) + euthanasia (the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma)

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Botanikiller

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: bəˈtani kilər

Sentence: Doris was such a sweet person that her neighbors found it shocking to find out that she was a botanikiller. They thought she was trying to give her house plants a boost of sunshine when they were set out on the deck. When the first frost hit, they were concerned. When the first snow came, it was clear that her intent was homicidal.

Etymology: botanical (of or relating to plants) + killer (a person, animal, or thing that causes death)

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COMMENTS:

metrohumanx Botanikiller would make a great movie title. Nice, artr! - metrohumanx, 2008-10-13: 11:20:00

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Snubotany

Created by: Tigger

Pronunciation: snŭ-bŏt'-ən-ē

Sentence: Alice's in-laws ran a florist shop, but she had terrible alergies, and she was forced to practice snubotany every year on Christmas and on her and Carl's anniversary. [In fact, Carl knew that if he started up the driveway only to find a outdoorchid, or a porchsettia, that had been patiousted, and it wasn't Christmas, he'd better just turn right around and go shopping for an anniversary present.]

Etymology: snub - To ignore or behave coldly toward; to slight (Middle English, snubben) + botany - the science of plants (Greek, botanikós)

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COMMENTS:

libertybelle Now that's a clever word!! Kinda rolls of the tongue. - libertybelle, 2007-11-14: 09:14:00

Sure does. Although Alice may need a snubdevil to perform a exflorcism! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-11-14: 17:13:00

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Overstalk

Created by: astorey

Pronunciation: oh-ver-stalk

Sentence: Melissa liked her plants and generally tried to take good care of them. But when she travelled or forgot to water them, only the ones who could switch to desert mode would survive. The rest became, in Melissa's mind, overstalk, and her neglect moved from benign to willful, as she started planning what the overstalk's pot would hold next.

Etymology: Alteration of "overstock" to incorporate stalk, as in a plant stem. Also intended to imply that you are over the stalk.

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COMMENTS:

cute...Maybe she should stalk to her plants to get them growing... - Nosila, 2008-10-13: 20:21:00

metrohumanx hahaha- "desert mode"....how optimistically deniable. Good one! - metrohumanx, 2008-10-14: 03:11:00

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Arborwinism

MissRabbit

Created by: MissRabbit

Pronunciation: Arr-bore-win-ism

Sentence: A guilty arborwinist, Meg got so depressed watching her holiday flowers slowly shrivel away that she finally abandoned them to the elements.

Etymology: A mix of arbor (relating to trees/plants) and Darwinism (survival of the fittest)

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COMMENTS:

metrohumanx Shundashrub, also. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-13: 01:45:00

metrohumanx Wabbits are not kind to shwubs. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-13: 01:45:00

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Aplandonment

Created by: StarLizard

Pronunciation: a-plan-don-ment

Sentence: Bruno, not being able to look at the plant shrivel and finally die due to the lack of watering, resorted to aplandonment, knowing full well that he would forget the hideous Christmas cactus his mother had given him out there on the balcony.

Etymology: Mix of plant and abandonment.

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Herbamortem

elisabeth

Created by: elisabeth

Pronunciation: The a and b are silent. Herr-mortem

Sentence: Your foxtail fern is herbamortem. OH NO!

Etymology: Dutch

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-11-14: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by yellowbird. Thank you yellowbird! ~ James'

purpleartichokes - 2007-11-14: 04:19:00
How ironic, I just did this yesterday with some cilantro that developed a wicked case of spider mites. Now I get to feel the guilt allll over again.

Jabberwocky - 2007-11-14: 15:22:00
I got a phone call from cilantro - he said "Save me purple - it's not too late"

purpleartichokes - 2007-11-14: 18:32:00
I hate you Jabber. Here come the nightmares... "I'm freeeeezing!"

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-11-14: 23:02:00
The cilantro is just the tip of the iceberg! I heard that Purple iced her entire crop artichokes, which she was **trying** to grow hydroponically in her basement. That is until she saw her electricity bill quadruple. Just think of all those poor baby artichokes... It's sad, until you think -- Purple probably would have ate them anyways. ~ James

mplsbohemian - 2007-11-14: 23:08:00
Tip of the iceberg *lettuce*, you mean.

purpleartichokes - 2007-11-15: 06:54:00
Now I'm all choked up... guess I'll start eating more meat.

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-03-10: 00:08:00
Today's definition was suggested by yellowbird. Thank you yellowbird. ~ James

artr artr - 2010-03-10: 12:20:00
A friend suggested a very scary thought. She says that the verbotomists should get together and have a \"meet & greet\".

mrskellyscl mrskellyscl - 2010-03-10: 12:46:00
Sounds good. We could have a convention in Verbena, Alabama