Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n., An expressive gesture made with the belief that the person it is directed at cannot see it, typically occurs during telephone conversations, email discourses, and behind people's backs. v. To use an unseen gesture to express what you cannot say.
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.
Handestine
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: han/dess/tine
Sentence: They thought the CEO couldn't see the one fingered handestine salute he was given behind his back. Little did they know he wore two way mirrored glasses.
Etymology: hand + clandestine (covert)
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COMMENTS:
digitally enhanced vision! like it - galwaywegian, 2008-01-28: 07:19:00
I seriously debated over whether to even bother trying to make a word today, I liked this one so much...fantabulous. - Banky, 2008-01-28: 08:22:00
This will be heard, for it's such a handy word, by design, usefully fine! - silveryaspen, 2008-01-28: 12:52:00
Handsome! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-01-28: 16:21:00
I have to hand it to you! You handled this challenge well!! Easily the best word today!!! - Stevenson0, 2008-01-28: 21:01:00
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Ghasture
Created by: Ghyarlae
Pronunciation: gas-ture
Sentence: In almost every comedy movie there is a scene when someone is telling a disastrous thing to the other person and the third one present makes a "NO!" ghasture behind their head.
Etymology: ghastly(can bring doom) + gesture(a sign that you make with hand/body)
Stealthcontempt
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: stealth-con-tempt
Sentence: Eighth grade teachers feel a certain amount of stealthcontempt every time they turn their backs to their class. Girls giggle, pencils get dropped and a new generation of class clowns begin honing their skills at the teacher's expense. The young comics eventually learn, though, that the teacher really does have eyes in the back of her head, knows every trick in the book, and is not amused. The fledgling jesters are doomed to spend many long hours of their young lives doing long division problems and cleaning erasers.
Etymology: wordplay on self-contempt: to consider oneself as inferior; to mock or deride oneself -- stealth: an action done covertly or in secret + contempt: scorn, disrespect, open dislike; to be considered as inferior
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COMMENTS:
and later comes stealthloathing. - artr, 2010-04-16: 11:16:00
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Mockference
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: mäkfərəns
Sentence: Halfway through the weekly mockference call the company IT guy stopped to see if the newly-repaired webcam was working correctly. Julie, the head jeerleader, suddenly had sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was greatly relieved when Mr. FattyMcButterPants (McFarland) told them that he didn*t know about the repair and had not turned on his monitor.
Etymology: mock (tease or laugh at in a scornful or contemptuous manner) + conference (a formal meeting for discussion)
Glibbondancing
Created by: thegoatisbad
Pronunciation: glib-bun-dan-sing
Sentence: When Zinnia disagreed with someone sitting across the conference table from her, she would smile and, under the table, secretly flip them off. This was too subtle for Kimberly, whose annoyance had evolved in its expression from similarly small gestures to pompous gibbon-dancing.
Etymology: Glib (simply insincere) + Ribbon Dancing (a popular sport among 8 year old women)
Invisubordination
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: in viz sub ord in ay shun
Sentence: When the boss was on the road, which luckily was often, he called a phone meeting every morning to keep tabs on the slaves he'd left behind. They made the right noises back at him, but while he was giving them orders and bragging about his ideas, they would commit acts of invisubordination. Between crude gestures, funny faces, stifled laughter and eye-rolling they acted out their true feelings for him. Imagine their surprise when they came in on a Monday morning to find out he had installed televisual equipment and they would have to act as though he was really in the room. What a killjoy!
Etymology: Invisible (unseen;impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye) & Insubordination (defiance of authority)
Handygraphed
Created by: silveryaspen
Pronunciation: han dee graff t
Sentence: Larry considered himself quite the lothario. He used clandesigns (clandestine signs) to signal other men in the area, to indicate what he thought of any woman near him, and how he rated them. He was pretty handy-dandy at sly signs. You could see, or say, he perfected the art of handygraphed!
Etymology: Interplay of the words of hand and graphed along with a pun on the word handicraft. Handy - skillful with the hands. Graphed - represented with signs. Handicraft - anything made with manual skills also known as hand skills.
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COMMENTS:
welcome back - Jabberwocky, 2008-11-19: 13:28:00
And so say all of us. Nice word. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-11-19: 16:47:00
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Hidicruel
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: hidikroōəl
Sentence: Jerry ”accidently” disabled the video aspect of the weekly conference call with the home office so that he could hidicruel whatever new directive was to be delivered. As he openly mocked his bosses, his co-workers were hard pressed to contain their laughter.
Etymology: hidden (kept out of sight; concealed) + ridicule (the subjection of someone or something to mockery and derision) + cruel (causing pain or suffering)
Derrign
Created by: bluemukaki
Pronunciation: de-rhyne
Sentence: "I'm sick of those stupid derrrigns Bob does in our photos. can't he rub his nipples in someone else's photos?"
Etymology: der[ogatory]+ [S]ign, portmanteau of Derogatory and Sign. R added for pronunciation.
Gesticulatent
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: jest tick you klay tent.
Sentence: Every time Fred called his employees on the phone from his travels, his reponses would be a bunch of gesticulatent signals from his rather immature staff.
Etymology: gesticulate (to show, express or direct through movement) & latent (at some eventual time in the future, potential)
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COMMENTS:
Excellent combination. - metrohumanx, 2008-11-19: 20:17:00
A beautiful word. I am stunned by the brevity of your sentence. Still love it, though! - metrohumanx, 2008-11-21: 08:34:00
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Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by ErWenn. Thank you ErWenn. ~ James
Maxine - 2008-01-28: 08:57:00
This is a really great cartoon!
Thanks Maxine! ~ James
I love the guy making a grab at himself - made me laugh out loud.
silveryaspen - 2008-01-28: 13:16:00
Fun definition, Erwenn. Your cartoon was uproariously funny, James. All the creations were a hoot,great job verbotomists!
ErWenn's definitions always always seem to generate a good laugh. See: Let me hold the door for you... Thanks! ~ James
silveryaspen - 2008-11-20: 08:25:00
Missed you all. Nice to be back.
Today's definition was suggested by ErWenn. Thank you ErWenn. ~ James