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'Eat! Or you'll turn into a boneless chicken.'

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.

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Verboticisms

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Causham

Created by: Rehlit

Pronunciation: kaw-sham

Sentence: Many parents use an insidious causham to frighten their naughty children. Such as "If you eat watermelon seeds, a watermelon will grow in your stomach!"

Etymology: Caution(a warning against danger or evil; anything serving as a warning) + sham (something that is not what it purports to be; a spurious imitation; fraud or hoax; pretended; counterfeit; feigned:)

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Lorewarning

Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: lor/war/ning

Sentence: Lorewarning is the practice of raising children by indoctrinating them with urban legends

Etymology: lore (myths) + forewarning

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COMMENTS:

Or suburban legends. Excellent! - Scrumpy, 2007-09-28: 07:50:00

I fought the lore and the lore won! splendid word. - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-30: 18:16:00

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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)

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Yarnstay

Created by: jimtastic

Pronunciation: Yarn (as in barn)...stay (as in may)

Sentence: The yarnstay of going blind from playing with one's own thingamabob or puffinstuff has been passed on from older generations to younger generations for centuries.

Etymology: yarn: a word only used by grandmothers relating a tale, esp. a long story of adventure or incredible happenings / stay: to suspend or delay (actions, proceedings, etc.).

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COMMENTS:

Great blend of Old English words. - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-30: 18:07:00

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Awedition

Created by: Stevenson0

Pronunciation: aw/dish/un

Sentence: Parents awedition their children because it is a fast, easy way to get the behaviour they expect. Unfortunately, when children are put through too many aweditions and are older, they do not trust anything their parents tell them.

Etymology: awe (apprehension, dread, fear, fright, horror, shock, stupefaction, terror) + condition

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COMMENTS:

awedsome! - Nosila, 2010-01-20: 19:21:00

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Wreckommendation

kathleen

Created by: kathleen

Pronunciation:

Sentence: It was growing up having heeded his Momma's wreckommendations that caused Dwight to spend every wednesday of his adult life on the couch.

Etymology: wreck + recommendation

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COMMENTS:

Great word! Add a pronunciation and get another point. - Scrumpy, 2007-09-28: 17:29:00

Very clever! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-30: 18:06:00

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Propagationganda

MrDave2176

Created by: MrDave2176

Pronunciation: prop-uh-GEY-shuhn-gan-da

Sentence: Despite all of my mother's propagationganda my eyes never did "stick that way".

Etymology: Propagation:to breed + (propa)ganda : to disseminate information (or rumors)

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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

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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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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.

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-09-28: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram! ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-01-20: 00:25:00
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James