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'What's with this stupid pen?'

DEFINITION: v., To search for and find a pen to write down an important note, only to discover that the pen does not work. n., A moment in time when the only pens you can find, are pens that do not work.

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Verboticisms

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Pendysfunction

Created by: Wordsmithey

Pronunciation:

Sentence:

Etymology:

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Bickenscratch

Created by: xirtam

Pronunciation: bic-en-skrach

Sentence: With the only pen I could find out of ink, I had to bickenscratch the phone number into the note pad so I could read the indentations later.

Etymology: bic: a brand of pen + Chicken Scratch: slang; poor or illegible writing. Scratch: To write or draw by scraping or cutting the lines into a surface.

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COMMENTS:

To be precise, this is the inevitable result of the event described, but I like it! 'He bickenscratched his way through the morning until he finally found a pen that worked.' - Tigger, 2007-11-06: 13:23:00

I like it too. Resembles my grocery list. - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-06: 20:01:00

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Yeahuhholdonasec

thegoatisbad

Created by: thegoatisbad

Pronunciation: yeah-uh-hold-on-a-sec

Sentence: Kimberly was in for a frustrating day when Zinnia traded all of her well-hydrated pens with their desiccated cousins from long forgotten junk drawers. Zinnia could hardly contain her amusement as Kimberly constantly yeahuhholdonasec'ed with customers placing large scale orders of sweaters.

Etymology: it's what you say on the phone when you can't find a pen

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Bicketline

libertybelle

Created by: libertybelle

Pronunciation: bick-et-line

Sentence: Darryl went through all of his pens to write down Miranda's phone number to no avail; he formed a bicketline with all of the pens that refused to work.

Etymology: bic - popular brand of pen + picket line. A bicstrike.

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Penundrum

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: pen-NUHN-druhm

Sentence: Bob faced a penundrum when his biro pendripulated as he tried to write down the address of his new girlfriend - Woodraliggunie st, Gutchboordankendockenarup, Western Australia. Despite his dyspengraphic pleadings, she remained unsympathetic presenting him with a penultimatum: get one that writes or get lost!

Etymology: Blend of pen & conundrum: a puzzling question or problem.

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COMMENTS:

I think Bob should buy some pencils - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-06: 13:51:00

I guess Bob will never get to go to Camp Comeoniwannalaya with his new-found girlfriend. (great word ozzie!) - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-06: 19:58:00

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Peninsulate

Created by: QuantumMechanic

Pronunciation: pen en suh late

Sentence: I knew the answer, but I didn't couldn't call in to win, because I was peninsulated -- all of the pens I found were dead.

Etymology: pen (ink writing instrument) + insulate (isolate), parallel to peninsula (an isolated spit of land)

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Penopausal

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: pen-o-PAWZ-uhl

Sentence: Penopausal made Bob feel powerless when it caused him to miss a once in a life-time date with Jennifer Hawkins.

Etymology: PEN:a writing implement& PAUSE: to cause to cease +AL: suffix:kind of, pertaining to.

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COMMENTS:

very funny ozzie - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-03: 09:44:00

Good one! - TJayzz, 2008-10-03: 13:09:00

zxvasdf What happens when you combine penopausal with a menopausal woman...? I shudder to think about it. - zxvasdf, 2008-10-03: 13:40:00

Murder, She Wrote! - Nosila, 2008-10-03: 20:19:00

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Inkompentense

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: ink kom pen tens

Sentence: Inkredibly inkonvenient is what he thought. Here he was trying to find a pen that worked to write down the number given him on the phone message he had just accidentally erased from his answering machine...while that number was still in his head. His inklination was to give up, but it would be inkonsiderate to not call back and arrange that interview. Heaven knows his inkome relied upon his getting hired for this great job. At this moment, without a functioning pen, he was in a state of inkompentense. Luckily, he found his cell phone and managed to get the number inkarcerated into it, before it was lost in the fog of poor memory. Hopefully he would not sound inkoherent at his interview...

Etymology: Incompetence (inability of a part or organ to function properly) & Ink (a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing) & Pen (writing implement) & Tense (make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time)

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Dudstriment

Created by: abrakadeborah

Pronunciation: dud-stri-mint

Sentence: All of the pens in the office were dudstriments when Sam really needed to take notes.

Etymology: Dud- a person or thing that proves ineffectual or a failure. Instriments taken in part of the correct spelling "instruments" - An implement used to facilitate work.

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Thenotwritestuff

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: The not rite stuff

Sentence: When the first astronauts went up in space, they had thenotwritestuff for report writing, because the lack of gravity prevented the ink from flowing down the shaft and appearing on official NASA notepaper. This where the famous line, "Houston, we have a problem" was born. After the Astronaut Pen was invented, where you could write upside down or at any angle, proper records could be documented. This was long before any computers were available (except HAL) to enter data. Imagine then how many alien encounters were missed or not reported because the crews had thenotwritestuff! Have you any ink-ling? The biro-ny...they can get a man on the moon, but they cannot invent a pen that does not dry up!

Etymology: The Not (negative) Write Stuff (play on Right Stuff(Essential abilities or qualities;dependability,etc.necessary for success...also name for a Hollywood Movie about astronauts chosen for the space program)

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COMMENTS:

zxvasdf Good sentence. Funny, cud have just splurged a buck for a dozen of pencils instead. - zxvasdf, 2008-10-03: 13:39:00

Then they would have had to get the lead out! Cheers! - Nosila, 2008-10-04: 23:08:00

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-11-06: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by vixphilia. Thank you vixphilia! ~ James'

OZZIEBOB - 2007-11-06: 16:53:00
Good word!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-03-03: 00:16:00
Today's definition was suggested by vixphilia. Thank you vixphilia. ~ James

Petrikreink - 2020-03-03: 05:14:00