Vote for the best verboticism.
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.
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.
Leafoutside
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: leef owt syde
Sentence: Like clockwork, Flora's neighbours saw the same phenomena after each season...abandoned plants on her back porch. Poinsettia's after Christmas, Lillies after Easter, Mums after Thanksgiving, etc. Apparently ignorant on any kind of plant care knowledge,Flora would leafoutside any of these poor hothouse-raised, sensitive showy plants to fend for themselves. Inevitably, snow, frost, critters and lack of water sealed their fate. Those neighbours were very worried that one of these days, Flora might get pregnant and have a baby. If she ran true to form, they were afraid they might find the baby abandoned on the porch because he had outgrown the cute stage and was way too much work and bother. They speculated that if this was not the child's fate, he should be named "Leaf the Lucky"!
Etymology: Leaf (the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants) & Outside (Not inside, in the elements) & play on leave outside (abandon something to the Great Outdoors)
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:
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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Exfoliage
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: EX-FOE-lee-age
Sentence: In a fit of ruthless spring cleaning, all unwanted growth in the house was expunged. The plants were exfoliaged, and then the winter-coat on her legs was depilated.
Etymology: exfoliate (to get rid of unwanted growth) + ex (prefix meaning outside) + foliage (leaves)
Vegicide
Created by: xirtam
Pronunciation: vej-uh-sahyd
Sentence: Why did my sister give me a cactus for Christmas? She knows I have two dogs that get into everything. I’ll have to commit vegicide and put it outside for the rest of the winter. Then if she asks I can tell her it died.
Etymology: Vegetation: Latin vegetātiōn; Plant life. + Homicide: Latin homicīdium; A killing.
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COMMENTS:
Just tell her it's cactus! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-11-14: 17:42:00
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Expelant
Created by: bzav1
Pronunciation: ex-pel-ant
Sentence: Instead of transplanting the geraniums, Betty decided to expelant them on the porch in hopes that someone would take them away.
Etymology: expel - to cast out + plant, antonym of transplant
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.
Explantriate
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: eks-plan-TREE-ate
Sentence: When Bob threw the bothersome begonia from his balcony with tarpeian tenacity, he hoped that this floray had finally explantriated all his unwanted "fleur-de-loathe."
Etymology: 1. Explantriate: blend of plant & expatriate. 2. Tarpeian: after "Tarpeian Rock" a cliff in ancient Rome where criminals were executed by being thrown from the top of it. 3. Floray (flora & foray) 4. Fleur-de-loathe (very loosely based on Fleur-de-lis)
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COMMENTS:
clever - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-14: 10:22:00
me likey - SpaceCadet, 2007-11-14: 12:14:00
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Croakus
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: krōkəs
Sentence: Jane has a black thumb when it comes to raising plants. Plants given to her are generally doomed to her attempts at kindness. No matter what kind of plant or flower she has it soon becomes a croakus.
Etymology: croak (die/kill) + crocus (a small, spring-flowering plant of the iris family, which grows from a corm and bears bright yellow, purple, or white flowers)
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COMMENTS:
deadly good word - Nosila, 2010-03-11: 00:22:00
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Cropsicle
Created by: purpleartichokes
Pronunciation: crop-sik-ul
Sentence: Although it was completely infested with spider mites, it took me days to decide to abandon all hope and set my cilantro plant outside to become yet another cropsicle.
Etymology: crop, popsicle
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COMMENTS:
so sad - but funny - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-14: 09:35:00
What's even worse is the plant was on my desk, and I'd snip off a piece to munch on from time to time. Who knows how many miniature spiders are wriggling inside me. Perhaps I should swallow a fly. - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-14: 11:56:00
the eency weency spider climbed up the water spout... - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-14: 15:18:00
From what I heard recently of some of the things some Australian footballers have allegely tried to swallow -as performance ennancers - I wouldn't be surprized if they've to swallow a horse! Cuteword! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-11-14: 17:33:00
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Florilicide
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: Flor-il-uh-side
Sentence: Beatrice hoped no one would realize she committed voluntary floriliside when she left her Christmas poinsettia outside thru the winter.
Etymology: Floral + to cause the death of
Comments:
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!"
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.
Today's definition was suggested by yellowbird. Thank you yellowbird. ~ James
A friend suggested a very scary thought. She says that the verbotomists should get together and have a \"meet & greet\".
Sounds good. We could have a convention in Verbena, Alabama