Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n., Cautionary advice provided by parents to their children, often makes no logical sense but carries enough emotional weight to affect the child's behavior. v. To warn of danger through the judicious use of exaggeration.
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.
Malaproscription
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /ˈmæləpro(ʊ)ˌskɹɪpʃən/
Sentence: Most new parents promise themselves that they'll always be open and honest with their children, but each time they are asked "Why not?", the probability of the birth of a new malaproscription increases.
Etymology: from malapropism + proscription
Madvice
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: mad/vice
Sentence: Yeah he was at it again. Dad, flappin' his chops about how he "had to walk a mile to school in the snow," "shine shoes for lunch money" and "wear grandpa's suit jacket to his 8th grade graduation." Patrick learned to tune both Dad AND Mom out the day he realized they were offering nothing but useless madvice once they started digging into their, "WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE" files.
Etymology: mad + advice. Parents short fuse when it comes to their "spoiled brats" whining...
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COMMENTS:
Amen...but of course we do the same things to our own kids...When I was in school, talk about computers was pure science fiction...why they had barely invented tv's or phones that weren't party lines! Cheers,lumina - Nosila, 2008-08-29: 20:08:00
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Lorewarning
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: lor/war/ning
Sentence: Lorewarning is the practice of raising children by indoctrinating them with urban legends
Etymology: lore (myths) + forewarning
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COMMENTS:
Or suburban legends. Excellent! - Scrumpy, 2007-09-28: 07:50:00
I fought the lore and the lore won! splendid word. - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-30: 18:16:00
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Improverbs
Created by: rikboyee
Pronunciation: im-prov-erbz
Sentence: my parents kept us in line with a never ending stream of improverbs
Etymology: improv, proverbs
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COMMENTS:
Evcellent! - Scrumpy, 2007-09-28: 07:42:00
Fantastic words- Just what those mischievous imps need! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-30: 18:02:00
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Mythconduct
Created by: Tigger
Pronunciation: /mith-kon-dukt/
Sentence: Donna stared wistfully at her friends splashing in the pool, and glanced up at the clock again — it'd been only 53 minutes since she'd eaten that banana — seven more minutes before she could go back in the pool. Her mother had warned her many times that going into the water less than an hour after eating would inevitably cause cramps, which were somehow always fatal. 'Would she die from drowning or from the cramps themselves?' she wondered. What if she just dangled her legs in the water? No, it was just too risky. She couldn't overcome the mythconduct her mother had instilled into her. Six minutes and forty five seconds to go...
Etymology: Myth - any invented story, idea, or concept (from Greek, mythos "speech, story") + Conduct - personal behavior; way of acting (from Latin, conductus "to lead or bring together")
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COMMENTS:
I always doubted this prohibition. I even sent it in to "Mythbusters"....to no avail. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-29: 06:00:00
Well, Mythbusters did prove that you shouldn't spin around in a makeshift wirlpool too soon after eating pizza. Funny episode. But I'm convinced that the 1-hour 'no swimming' rule is nonsense. But I knew kids whose mothers wouldn't even let them stand in the wading pool because of that rule. - Tigger, 2008-08-29: 10:12:00
Good word - TJayzz, 2008-08-29: 13:43:00
Welcome back, Tigger, we mythed you! - Nosila, 2008-08-29: 20:09:00
This one is my favorite, well done! - Rehlit, 2008-09-01: 00:50:00
Good word there Tigger, it has a nice ring to it! I like the way you think :) - abrakadeborah, 2009-03-14: 19:07:00
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Wreckommendation
Created by: kathleen
Pronunciation:
Sentence: It was growing up having heeded his Momma's wreckommendations that caused Dwight to spend every wednesday of his adult life on the couch.
Etymology: wreck + recommendation
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COMMENTS:
Great word! Add a pronunciation and get another point. - Scrumpy, 2007-09-28: 17:29:00
Very clever! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-30: 18:06:00
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Mamalore
Created by: thebaron
Pronunciation: ma-ma-lore
Sentence: Whenever we ate oranges and swallowed the seeds, Aunt Janet would spurt out some mamalore, saying that oranges trees would grow in our stomachs.
Etymology: mama (mother) lore (length/myth)
Kiddiwink
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: kid-DEE-wink
Sentence: When young Bob started studying Latin, he thought that the expression,"in loco parentis "described well his parents' mum - bojumbo and poppalaver. Nevertheless, he was still a bit concerned about their warning to him that if he didn't eat his veggies he wouldn't go to heaven." His Latin teacher, Mr Polly Glott, on hearing about this told him he was being kiddiwinked, and that he should seek to understand the Indonesian proverb," seperti ayam patok anaknya." - - Translating: "as the hen pecks her children." (mock severity of doting parents.)
Etymology: Kid: 1. child, young one, but also teenagers 2.Wink: to humbug, fool, blarney. . Wink (as in hoodwink)to cover the eyes, to blind mentally, to humbug. Kiddiwink: a young child (Australian Slang ???): Although, I never heard it used!
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COMMENTS:
The Kiddiwinkle and Rocky Show. Great word OZ! - Scrumpy, 2007-09-28: 07:56:00
where's the great sentence today?? - Jabberwocky, 2007-09-28: 12:05:00
My granddaughter needed to go to hospital pronto. And things were at sixes and sevens for a while. She may need surgery today: appendicitis ??? - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-28: 18:22:00
Hope things are okay with your granddaughter. Great cereberal expanding sentence once again! - Scrumpy, 2007-09-28: 18:41:00
you can write her a little story to make her feel better - hope everything's okay - Jabberwocky, 2007-09-28: 19:30:00
Ozpziebob...didn't realize the Oz part meant you were in Australia????...I just arrived in the Godzone (New Zealand) to see my children and grandson...your wee one will be in my thoughts and prayers. - readerwriter, 2008-08-29: 15:25:00
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Scarefication
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: skair-uh-fi-key-shuhn
Sentence: Mother hen believes in the use of scarefication to keep her chicks in line. A little lie here, an exaggeration there, all pecked into their little psyches until they are afraid to do anything wrong.
Etymology: scare (to fill, especially suddenly, with fear or terror; frighten; alarm) Scarification (scratching, etching, burning/branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification)
Mamatrauma
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: Mom - uh - trom - uh
Sentence: Daphne ducked whenever her mother would begin ranting about normal risks in every day life, fearing the devastating emotional damage from mamatrauma much more than she feared daily living.
Etymology: Blend of 'mama' (mother parent) and 'trauma' (an experience that produces psychological injury or pain)
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COMMENTS:
Keep making that face, and it will STAY that way forever! - metrohumanx, 2008-08-29: 06:03:00
"Eat one more piece of that candy and the dentist will have to pull all your teeth out!" - lumina, 2008-08-29: 15:30:00
No BB gun, you'll put somebody's eye out. - Mustang, 2008-08-30: 04:44:00
No BB gun, you'll put somebody's eye out. - Mustang, 2008-08-30: 06:39:00
Okaaaaaaaaaaaay...go ahead if you want..........all I will say is, "Santa is wathinggggggggggggg." - lumina, 2008-08-31: 21:03:00
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Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James