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'So team, what do you think of my new idea?'

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.

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Verboticisms

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Hideandspeak

Created by: bananabender

Pronunciation: HAHYD-n-speek

Sentence: Having had some acting lessons but never playing a paying role, Marla put her "talents" to good use in the office. She hideandspeaks her boss daily by making funny faces and rude gestures while saying all the right things. These days she isn't bothered by work-related stress at all.

Etymology: a play on the children's game hide-and-seek. HIDE: conceal from sight, not speak one's mind, not speak the truth. SPEAK: talk. Also HIDE: the gestures are hidden from the boss. AND SEEK: the boss needs to seek out what the employees REALLY think about it.

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COMMENTS:

Excellent! - ErWenn, 2008-01-28: 10:36:00

Very creative, BB. - Tigger, 2008-01-28: 12:19:00

Oh you bring out the child in all of us ... in the most delightful way! - silveryaspen, 2008-01-28: 12:48:00

Childhood memories come flooding back! Good word! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-01-28: 16:53:00

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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)

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Invisign

Created by: Dougalistic

Pronunciation: In-vis-sine

Sentence: Geoff made an invisign to Bob the other day, it was hilarious! As you know Geoff has a fetish for sheep, so Bob, being the funny man he is got hold of Geoff's picture of a sheep and started making thrusting gestures down the phone haha! Geoff would have hit the roof!!

Etymology: Invisible - withdrawn from or out of sight; hidden: e.g. 'an invisible seam'. Sign - any object, action, event, pattern, etc., that conveys a meaning.

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COMMENTS:

Very descriptive sentence! [Things that make you go 'Ewe'...] - Tigger, 2008-01-28: 12:06:00

You are so baaaa-d you are good! - silveryaspen, 2008-01-28: 12:41:00

Probably did it with a sheepish grin! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-01-28: 17:01:00

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Mimeogaffe

Created by: bookowl

Pronunciation: mim/ee/oh/gaf

Sentence: Stan's hilarious imitation of his boss as a gorilla turned into a huge mimeogaffe when the boss' face popped up from under the desk.

Etymology: mimicry + mimeograph

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COMMENTS:

Good word...if he had imitated the boss as a girraffe it would have been a mimeogiraffe! - Nosila, 2008-11-19: 23:12:00

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Pantosign

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: pan to sine

Sentence: Harvey's banal suggestions were always met with the usual pantosigns by his supportive employees.

Etymology: pantomime (using gestures, not words) & sign (gesture, motion)

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COMMENTS:

Excellent! - silveryaspen, 2008-02-06: 17:57:00

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Contradigitation

Created by: CanadianAndyCapp

Pronunciation: CONTRA-DIGIT-ATION

Sentence: "Despite her verbal assurances to the contrary during the course of the phone call, her annoyance was clearly discernable through the contradigitation of her facial expression and hand gestures

Etymology:

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Secremove

Created by: gemmgemms

Pronunciation: see-creh-moo-va

Sentence: As he argued with his girlfriend, in his anger, he bravely attempted a very rude secremove behind his back hoping she would not see.

Etymology: secret+move

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Mockference

artr

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)

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Blindsign

Created by: silveryaspen

Pronunciation: bl-eye-nd-s-eye-nd

Sentence: The two siblings could say one thing while they used blindsign to say another, taking double speak to a whole new level.

Etymology: a play on blind, sign, and eye

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COMMENTS:

Short and sweet: good word! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-01-28: 16:41:00

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Gesteliate

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: jes-tel-EE-eyt

Sentence: Whenever his boss called him making a new pledge on worker's rights, Bob gesteliated by putting his hand over the phone, and singing aloud the words of the chorus from the Joe Hill song, (The Preacher & the Slave): "You will eat bye and bye, In that glorious land above the sky; Work and pray, live on hay, You will get pie in the sky when you die."

Etymology: Blend of GESTURE: use of movement of arms, hands, head etc to express emotion, thought etc & Tel(e) from afar as in telephone & TALIATE as in retaliate to take action.

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COMMENTS:

Would have never thought to put these two together ... great combo! - silveryaspen, 2008-01-28: 12:43:00

your definitions always sound so convincing - Jabberwocky, 2008-01-28: 15:32:00

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-01-28: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by ErWenn. Thank you ErWenn. ~ James

Maxine - 2008-01-28: 08:57:00
This is a really great cartoon!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-01-28: 11:03:00
Thanks Maxine! ~ James

libertybelle libertybelle - 2008-01-28: 11:12:00
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!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-01-28: 14:30:00
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.

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-04-16: 00:10:00
Today's definition was suggested by ErWenn. Thank you ErWenn. ~ James