Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To exercise power through the strategic use of personal insults, while pretending to offer encouragement. n. A leader who motivates people by insulting them.
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.
Meanager
Created by: pungineer
Pronunciation: Meanie + ger
Sentence: Tarquin pondered whilst refrying the fries, he was on a fascinating 'Work your way round the Deep South' US gap year, the Himalayas had been fully booked, unfortunately... yes absolutely he though to himself, yes the OED have really missed a trick there, because, right, Bubba, is quite mean, I mean you could call him a meanie even, and he's my manager, well it says so on his badge so, right, well, actually he should be called a Meanager, because that's absolutely so what he is! Maybe i will study classics at Oxford next year, I've certainly got the language skills he ruminated further as he scrapped the grits off the gumbo....
Etymology: Just like Tarquin said in the story Mean or Meanie + Manager = Meanager
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COMMENTS:
When there was no crawdads, we ate dirt. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-06: 16:33:00
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Humiliaid
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: hyoo/mil/ee/eyd
Sentence: Rachel would humiliaid every salesman in the department. She ripped every salesman apart personally then pushed them to exceed last month's sales targets.
Etymology: humiliate + aid
Cowhoperate
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: co - WHOP - ehr - ayt
Sentence: Hillary delighted in using her status as supervisor to cowhoperate with her subordinates, employing seemingly sweet outpourings of sympathy for their problems while delivering sarcastic and crude insults.
Etymology: Blend of cooperate and whop...( A sudden sharp, powerful stroke)..verbal in this case
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COMMENTS:
Ouch! Cuts me to the quick. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:19:00
I read that as Cow + Operate which i think is a perfect word for such office bovines - pungineer, 2008-08-05: 10:56:00
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Insultivate
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: in sul tiv ayt
Sentence: When Joan Collins played Alexis Carrington on "Dynasty", she regularly would insultivate the other actors. They were sure that the vixenish Joan was using reverse psychology on them to improve their performances and make their reactions to her onscreen more lifelike. They never did realize that Joan relished abusing them, thanks mainly to another Collins always in her dressing room...frequent stiffeners of Tom Collins.
Etymology: Insult (to treat, mention, or speak to rudely) & Motivate (to give an incentive for action)
Snideypraise
Created by: TJayzz
Pronunciation: Sny-dee-pray-ze
Sentence: Rebecca thought she was a great boss, she didn't even realise by the way she encouraged her staff by mixing encouragement and insults in the same sentence, her staff could actually see right through her and knew all along that she was using the snideypraise method.
Etymology: Snidey(derogatory or mocking in an indirect way) + Praise(to express warm approval of) ORIGIN preiser Old French to prize, from Latin pretium 'price' = Snideypraise
Facadeist
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: fass add ist
Sentence: When Joan Collins played Alexis I-don't-Care-ington Coldby on "Dynasty" everyone thought she was a great actress, as well as an 80's clothes-horse supreme. She could work a room of naive men and fool millions of viewers. That is until those cat-fight scenes with her arch-rival, he ex Blake's new wife,Krystle (Linda Evans)...then they realized that those kissy, kissy, let's do lunch real soon, have your people call my people overtures were the mark of a real facadeist. Yes, they should have named the series after her, Die-Nasty!
Etymology: facade (a showy misrepresentation intended to conceal something unpleasant or being two-faced, not showing what you really feel) & sadist (someone who obtains pleasure from inflicting pain on others)
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COMMENTS:
Latent loathing lingers. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:17:00
Spot On ! - Wordotwist, 2008-08-05: 09:34:00
Great word AND soap opera sniglet! - lumina, 2008-08-05: 12:26:00
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Galvannihilate
Created by: CharlieB
Pronunciation: gal-van-eye-a-late
Sentence: The staff were conflicted by their boss. "You fat &*!£s need to show me what ya got!" she would yell. After a team hug and a pep talk they'd rush back to their desks feeling excited. But there was also a lingering sense of humiliation. They'd been well and truly galvannihilated.
Etymology: galvanise (to stimulate or excite) + annihilate (to destroy)
Lambastard
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: lamm bass tarrred
Sentence: He had the smile of an angel as he chaired the weekly meetings, but as the new recruit Ida Lovett was to discover, beneath the smarmy exterior, he was a complete and utter lambastard!
Etymology: lambast, to loudly criticise, bastard
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COMMENTS:
He was much worse after a few glasses of Italian red wine. Then he was lambrusqueo - petaj, 2007-06-12: 07:52:00
Also a wolf in sheep's clothing? - petaj, 2007-06-12: 08:02:00
Damn, I didn't see yours before I posted mine. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Good word there, too. - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 08:27:00
And the ignoramus who put BBQ sauce on the mutton chops. - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-12: 08:31:00
Hahaha! "Lamb baster." Incidentally, the Basters of Namibia get their name from the Dutch word for "bastard." - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 09:05:00
Maybe he had the smile of an angel because he was really 'Tiny Tim' in disguise and he was a lamebastard as well as a lambastard - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 10:44:00
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Obsucinsult
Created by: texmom
Pronunciation: Ob shew ur in sult
Sentence: After that obscurinsult she didn't know whether to thank her boss or cry
Etymology: obscure + insult Yes, I misspelled it and can't go back
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COMMENTS:
I meant it to be obscurinsult... but maybe... I should just leave it like it is. - texmom, 2007-06-12: 07:23:00
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Pepsquawk
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: pepskwôk
Sentence: Week after week the manager would deliver a pepsqualk to her staff. Her crew’s response has been to adopt a hedgehog as a mascot. They told her that a hedgehog is an industrious critter that will ”dig in” and defend its home. The fact is that the picture they posted for motivation is actually a shrew.
Etymology: pep talk (a talk intended to make someone feel more courageous or enthusiastic) + squawk (make a loud, harsh noise)
Comments:
The second step in Timothy Johnson's GUST process is Understanding. And apparently, based on the number of definitions we received on this topic, everybody understands what it is like to have a bad boss. Today's definition was suggested by ohwtepph , suzanne, and remistram. Thank you ohwtepph, suzanne, remistram, and Timothy! ~ James
lumina - 2008-08-07: 13:49:00
Wow! So fun and an honor to have come up with the "winning" word. "I'd like to thank the Academy, my parents and of course Jesus." ha Thanks to the voters! (she says as the music starts playing and the tap dancing man with the hook from the gong show comes into view...)
Today's definition was suggested by ohwtepph. Thank you ohwtepph. ~ James