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'Then we go for the brain!'

DEFINITION: v. To simplify, dramatize and fictionalize scientific knowledge so that it appeals to a general audience. n. A scientific fact, which has been exaggerated and dumbed-down to make it more "interesting".

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Verboticisms

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Desciencetize

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: de-SCI-ehns-eh-tize

Sentence: Henry was a bit of a dunce where science is concerned but he had a gift for gab so by using a smattering of actual knowledge, sprinkling in an abundance of gibberish and doubletalk he could desciencetize just about any kind of medical or scientific information.

Etymology: A play on the word 'desensitize'

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Xcisefiles

Created by: Stevenson0

Pronunciation: X/cise/Files

Sentence: Be sure to watch PBS's latest and greatest scientific adventure yet, in the show all the scientific world is buzzing about 'The XciseFiles' starring David Duchonvy as Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully. In this week's nail biter, with a surprising and shocking ending, the two stars take you on a long, scary and sometimes dangerous journey on how water boils at 100 degrees celcius, turns to steam, then condenses and turns back to rain, or water. Don't miss this week's shocking, suspenseful premier called 'The Water Cycle'.

Etymology: XciseFiles - noun - from EXCISE (to remove, or cut out) + X-FILES (former popular TV show above strange and possible scientific facts and recent movie 'X-Files - I Want to Believe'

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COMMENTS:

terrific sentence - you must be a science teacher - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:18:00

I smell an Emmy...good word! - Nosila, 2009-01-30: 17:56:00

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Hollizagerate

Created by: leeannhamers

Pronunciation: Hol-lly-za-jer-ate

Sentence: I went to see the movie "a bugs life" and it was totally hollizagerated"

Etymology: Hollywood. egzagerate

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COMMENTS:

So true. Great create. Will remember and use this word! - silveryaspen, 2009-01-30: 15:50:00

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Scienterrific

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: sīəntərifik

Sentence: The science programming on on John's favorite channel is very good at making mundane subjects scienterrific.

Etymology: science (the state of knowing) + terrific (extraordinary)

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Sugarcover

Created by: elona

Pronunciation:

Sentence: Sugarcovering the effect probiotics have on the human health will make the people believe they need to consume more yoghurt.

Etymology: sugar and cover, for sweetening the facts so they are more easily ingested.

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Seinsteinfeld

GlobalGallery

Created by: GlobalGallery

Pronunciation: sine-stine-feld

Sentence: It's gonna be a hit I tell ya. It's a sitcom, set in New York, and it's all about this wacky bunch of friends who are really into theoretical physics.

Etymology: 1.Seinfeld - A popular TV comedy set in New York City starring Jerry Seinfeld. 2.Einstein - German born Nobel prize winning physicist who formulated the theory of relativity.

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COMMENTS:

fantastic - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:16:00

What a combination! Einstein and Seinfeld! - silveryaspen, 2009-01-30: 15:45:00

Great, a show about nothing...0 = MC2, what a Quantum Leap Year! - Nosila, 2009-01-30: 17:49:00

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Defactoid

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: de-fac-toid

Sentence: Due to the success of his book, "K-9 ET" (Extra-terrestrial Doggies), Fred became the defactoid authority on canine aliens. He was a popular guest on the talk show circut and, after appearances on Larry King and The Tonight Show, landed his own cable television show, called "Is Your Dog an Alien?"

Etymology: de:remove from + fact: truth -- defacto: dominant standard or law that exists because of common acceptance rather than authority + factoid: a "fact" that exists to create or manipulate public opinion - often applied to newsmedia accused of publishing untrue or unverified articles for the purpose of sensationalism.

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Tryptostretch

Created by: jajsr

Pronunciation: Trip-toe-str-etch

Sentence: After Thanksgiving dinner, Shawn sat down on the couch and started to doze off. When his nephew, John, asked him why he was so sleepy, Shawn said it was because of the tryptophan in the turkey. Little to Shawn's knowledge, John had just finished watching a special about the "tryptophan myth", and realized Shawn just delievered a classic tryptostretch.

Etymology: Combination of "Trypto" from tryptophan - amino acid in turkey that's 'supposed' to make you sleepy; and "stretch" - an exercise of something beyond ordinary or normal limits - exaggeration.

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Spinflictosham

metrohumanx

Created by: metrohumanx

Pronunciation: spin-FLICK-toe-sham (spinflictoshammer, spinflictoshammed)

Sentence: Albert, a sensitive but demented biologist, was taken aback when he flicked on his television and found out that the folks at LYSOL had managed to bio-engineer all household bacteria into frightening, agressive enemies the size of GUMMYBEARS! Regular soap kills 98 % of germs but- in order to promote sales of "antibacterial" products, corporate advertising mavens sought to frighten everyone by portraying innocuous germs as flesh-eating maggots from hell. Albert knew that this approach to increased sales was merely a persuasive bogus SPINFLICTOSHAM...perpetrated to scare caring parental units into purchasing "ECO"products which cost more, but were no more effective than grandma's home-made soap. Albert sent an e-mail in protest, but in the end he washed his hands of the whole affair.

Etymology: SPIN+inFLICT+"O"+SHAM=SPINFLICTOSHAM.......SPIN:to present (as information) with a particular spin,to stretch out or extend (as a story) lengthily; .....INFLICT:to give by or as if by striking ,to cause (something unpleasant) to be endured, especially false knowledge; Latin inflictus, past participle of infligere, from in- + fligere "to strike"....."O"-a 20th century connective trick used to fuse two words together (suds-o-mat).....SHAM: a trick that deludes, a hoax, cheap falseness, especially purporting to be based upon scientific knowledge; perhaps from English dialect sham "shame", alteration of English shame.

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COMMENTS:

metrohumanx BEWARE! Bogus science and magnetic insoles..... Lookee here: http://www.quackwatch.org/ - metrohumanx, 2009-01-30: 01:09:00

metrohumanx I thrive on rejection and encourage feedback. - metrohumanx, 2009-01-30: 01:29:00

Eco products are certainly de rigueur at the moment. I suspect many of them are the identical products but just re-labeled. - Jabberwocky, 2009-01-30: 11:34:00

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Chemhistory

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: kem his toree

Sentence: When Sodium met Chloride, they produced a child named Salt, who ended up waiting on tables. When the Hydrogen Twins met Oxygen, they all landed in hot Water. When Iron and Oxide's stormy marriage began to bore, their relationship became very rusty. Sooner or later people would know that Silicone had had some work done. Tune in tomorrow for more chemhistory in that Great SubOpera, Another Half-Life to Live.

Etymology: Chemistory (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions;the way two individuals relate to each other) & History ( the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings;

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-01-30: 00:01:01
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2009-01-30: 00:09:00
Well put.

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2009-01-30: 01:18:00
...and thank you for letting me "vent".

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-01-30: 12:11:00
Thank you for venting! Obviously you are very gnawledgeable. ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-08-16: 00:40:00
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James