Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To have difficulty recognizing, and correctly interpreting, human facial expressions. n. A person who cannot read faces.
Verboticisms
Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...
You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.
Invisage
Created by: benjamin
Pronunciation: in-vis-ij
Sentence: Robert invisaged people in all situations; even in bed, he couldn't tell his wife's O-face from here "are we done yet" face.
Etymology: in (prefix meaning not) + visage (face)
Misinterprefacetion
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: mis-in-ter-pre-face-tion
Sentence: Jase was the king of misinterprefacetion, especially when it came to women. One day he thought he saw a "come hither" look on Miss Muffet's face and thought he might get lucky. In reality it was a look of horror because of a spider that sat down beside her (spiders creeped her out). So when he smiled at her she shivered and ran away, leaving him totally confused.
Etymology: misinterpretation: to interpret, explain or understand correctly + face
Discognify
Created by: jonobo
Pronunciation: dis-cogni-fy
Sentence: He completely discognified her defensive monkey-smile for an open invitation into deeper conversation. She discognified my looks on her T-Shirt for interest in her *oops*, but actually i was only interested in the printing-technique of the message on her chest.
Etymology: dissonance = reduced to "dis" cognitare = latin for recognize identify dissonance + cognitare + identify = discognify.
Myopique
Created by: pinwheel
Pronunciation: my/op/eek
Sentence: George decided that Polly was totally myopique when she misinterpreted his grimace of horror after showing him the dress she intended to wear to the party.
Etymology: myopic (short-sighted) + pique (emotional excitement or irritation)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
probably left her in a myopickle. - galwaywegian, 2007-05-09: 06:50:00
----------------------------
Antidisefacialism
Created by: Sharpedgeshurt
Pronunciation: Anti-Dys-uh-fa-shull-izm
Sentence: When Bob looked in to her eyes, he knew, or he thought he knew, by her smile, or was it a wince?, or a moan?--Actually, she was probably asleep--Anyway, Bob had antidisefacialism, and continued staring in to her sleeping face trying to figure out what it meant.
Etymology:
Misinterpotato
Created by: purpleartichokes
Pronunciation: miss-in-tur-pah-tay-toe
Sentence: My boss is one of those people who has a permanent grin affixed to his face, which is why I always find myself in hot water for committing misinterpotato.
Etymology: misinterpret, potato (slang for head), Mr. Potato Head (a toy with easily discernable facial expressions)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
I like this one, too. Silly, but descriptive. - Clayton, 2007-05-09: 19:00:00
Thanks. I had words that would probably be better liked by the consensus, but this one looked like misterpotato(head). I love Mr. Potatohead! And I loved the way it sounded. Mis-in-ter-po-ta-to. It's benign and semi-comical (in my humble potato-head's opinion). - purpleartichokes, 2007-05-09: 20:14:00
----------------------------
Mugnorant
Created by: Tigger
Pronunciation: /MUG-ner-uhnt/
Sentence: George would stop by the convenience store every day after his morning run to buy Gatorade, and he was sure the young woman who worked there liked him. She would crinkle her nose in the cutest way, and cover her face with her hand when he flirted with her. He figured she was just shy. One day there was a new girl there, even cuter than the regular girl, and she did the same thing when George approached the counter, smiling at her. He decided to ask her out, but when he did, she said "No, you stink! Are you mugnorant or something?"
Etymology: Mug - a human face [informal] (from Norwegian, mugge "pitcher"; usage from cups adorned with grotesque faces) + Ignorant - lacking education or knowledge (from Latin, ignorare "not aware")
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
OOOOH- Norweigo-latin...cool! - metrohumanx, 2008-07-09: 02:46:00
George is a real mugnoramus. - Mustang, 2008-07-09: 07:50:00
I guess george is kind of "mugdumb" Good word. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-07-10: 05:35:00
----------------------------
Emogerance
Created by: lv071100
Pronunciation: ee-mog-er-ants
Sentence: The boy is full of emogerance.
Etymology:
Visagaffe
Created by: verysimplegame
Pronunciation: Vis-ay-gaff
Sentence: Brandon's propensity to visagaffe always left him on the wrong foot in one-to-one negotiations.
Etymology: Visage (expression or countenance) + gaffe (blatant mistake or misjudgement)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Oh, that's clever! - jedijawa, 2007-05-10: 11:44:00
----------------------------
Comments:
Today's definition was inspired by Cory Doctorow's short story "I, Row-Boat", where a sentient, and very sensitive Row-Boat has some difficulty reading a woman's facial expressions. See the full story in Overclocked. Thank you Cory! ~ James
MIENBLIND is very good- and far more cerebral than my entry. Good work, Ozziebob.
MaybeLater_x - 2008-08-19: 19:10:00
Visagenary is also a play on Imaginary, nay?
Today's definition was suggested by doctorow. Thank you doctorow. ~ James
ldikarev - 2012-09-06: 16:44:00
ldikarev - 2012-09-06: 16:45:00
Prosopagnosia -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia Prosopagnosia (Greek: "prosopon" = "face", "agnosia" = "not knowing") is a disorder of fa