Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n. An environmentally friendly program or product which does not live up to expectations. v. To try to save the planet by buying something green only to find out that it's just a load of bunk.
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.
Geothermalware
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: gee-o-therm-MAL-ware
Sentence: Filled with despair at the increasing size of his carbon footprint, Henry was demoralised when her recognized that his brand new, self-contained, domestic power station was in fact geothermalware.
Etymology: geothermal (power sourced from the heat of the earth) + malware (malicious software) + mal (bad) + ware (something bought)
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COMMENTS:
well done! - galwaywegian, 2009-03-20: 06:18:00
Great blending! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-20: 21:11:00
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Scamwow
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: skæmwaʊ
Sentence: The late-night pitchman made the knockoff absorbent towel sound like the answer to almost all of Jerry's "being-green" concerns. He would never need to buy paper towels again saving hundreds of trees. He could scrub surfaces clean without using cleaning chemicals. It turned out to be a scamwow moment when he read the disclaimers on the packaging and found out that the warranty was limited to occasional use only (once a month) and that it was made from the hides of several endangered species.
Etymology: scam (a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme) + Shamwow (brand of absorbent towel sold via infomercial)
Environmentalies
Created by: EpicButCrazy
Pronunciation: en-vire-oh-ment-al-eyes
Sentence: The program to reuse light bulbs was just a heap of environmentalies. People soon found that they got no light from burnt-out bulbs.
Etymology: environmentalize + lies
Benefake
Created by: RightOnTheWin
Pronunciation: \ˈbe-nə-ˈfāk\
Sentence: Fredrick recently spent a fortune on remodeling his house to be more “green” for the environment. Everything went well, until the power reserving lamps he had bought, started to burn through the light bulbs like candy. Fredrick realized that most of the remodeling was done on impulse, and he didn’t take into consideration that these environmental friendly appliances could be benefake. Soon, his wife began to notice the problems around the house too; when she sat down to read a book, the newly changed light bulb blew. Fredrick’s wife warned him about overspending without researching first, before he began the remodeling. Fredrick refused to admit that she was right, and insisted that reusing blown bulbs would save power.
Etymology: Benefit (Something that promotes well-being) + fake (Something that is not what it purports to be)
Unconservashuns
Created by: silveryaspen
Pronunciation: un con serve vay shuns - my way to say cons which serve no good purpose (Oyvay!) deserve shuns
Sentence: To process grains, such as corn, into ethanol, to use as a substitue for the fossil fuel gasoline, takes a great deal of energy. That energy needed to distill it, usually comes from fossil fuels of oil or gas, using more oil or gas, than if you just put gasoline in your vehicle. Ethanol, is not so green, after all. Furthermore, it takes land away from the production of food. This fiasco is so disadvantagous and unproductive, it deserves to bite the dust. Like so many other green products, it saves nothing and is not our salvation. By refusing to purchase and use them, let us make such green flops and duds into unconservashuns.
Etymology: UN - meaning not. CONSERVATION - the word for preserving and protecting before the synonym green became more popular. SHUN - to avoid in every way because it is bad, not good.
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COMMENTS:
My word bothered me all day long ... and after much thought ... I finally fixed it! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-20: 21:22:00
Really good word and I love your sentence. - kateinkorea, 2009-03-21: 00:44:00
I agree - splendiction, 2009-03-21: 16:52:00
Double ditto! Good word and sentence Silveryaspen :) - abrakadeborah, 2009-03-22: 22:45:00
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Bozone
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: bo zone
Sentence: Manny's invention of unlights was a typical example of a bozone...something which had good intentions, butr failed to meet needs.
Etymology: Bozo (clown name, foolish person) & Ozone (the action of ultraviolet radiation on oxygen in the stratosphere (where it acts as a screen for ultraviolet radiation, which is being eroded by greenhouse affect)
Greenfrauducts
Created by: splendiction
Pronunciation: green fraud ucts
Sentence: Cleaners and other products claiming to be eco-friendly because they are clear may actually be greenfrauducts. These fraudulently-eco-friendly products cost more, but may contribute the same chemicals to the water supply and earth as regular products. Another type of greenfrauduct marketed to unthinking consumers are the group of products that are already organic: such as “organic” fruits and vegetables - aren’t they organic just as they are? “Organic” needs definition as “grown without chemicals or pesticides” to avoid promotion of greenfrauducts.
Etymology: From green products and fraud. Greenfrauducts are a group of products that are marketed as earth-friendly but which are either not such or are already earth-friendly.
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COMMENTS:
Agreed! Excellent verbotomy! Easy to remember and the meaning is so readily apparent! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-22: 16:27:00
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Conservascam
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: con-ser-VAY-scam
Sentence: Willard had just made the first payment on the water recovery and power saver program he bought from the door to door salesman when he began to realize it was really a conservascam and the worst part was his wife, Wilma, sneering and reminding him she'd tried to steer him away from the slick talking salesman.
Etymology: Blend of conserve and scam, play on the word 'conservation'.
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COMMENTS:
Good word. - kateinkorea, 2009-03-21: 00:41:00
Great word! Like the sentence - splendiction, 2009-03-21: 16:47:00
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Sneakosystem
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: sneek o sis tem
Sentence: When Gabby Tat decided to join the green movement, a slick salesman sold him an expensive earthworm farm, complete with millions of the wiggly creatures, to help renew the earth and rid the soil of impurities. Gabby bragged about his "farm"...which was in his urban backyard. A few days after he "planted" his livestock, he went out on a rainy day to check on the "herd". To his surprise, when he turned over the soil, he could find no worms. He then figured he'd bought a sneakosystem. Hundreds of robins had decided to visit his backyard and now he knew why!
Etymology: Sneak (someone who prowls or sneaks about; usually with unlawful intentions;make off with belongings of others) & Ecosystem (a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment)
Gaiaaaargh
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: gai aaaaargh
Sentence: He began to doubt the gaiaaaargh theory around the time that he saw Mr. lovelock buying a ticket to the moon.
Etymology: gaia aaaargh
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by readerwriter. Thank you readerwriter. ~ James
silveryaspen - 2009-03-23: 15:06:00
Your great definition, readerwriter, and your clever cartoon, James sure inspired a spate of great creates!
I thought I had bright idea, but it was bit dark... ~ James
silveryaspen - 2009-03-24: 16:28:00
I thought your clever use of color and shading to express darkness visually in your cartoon was brilliant! I know that's an oxymoron, but I couldn't figure out another way to say it!
Today's definition was suggested by readerwriter. Thank you readerwriter. ~ James