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...
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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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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, folklore) + forewarning
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COMMENTS:
Alligators in the sewers? - metrohumanx, 2008-08-29: 06:06:00
Witches eat little kids who don't go to bed on time? - lumina, 2008-08-29: 15:33:00
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Bullfear
Created by: staggolee
Pronunciation: BULL-Fear
Sentence: Grandma's bullfear haunted the child's imaginings for the rest of his life.
Etymology:
Animaliplify
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: an eemal plee fye
Sentence: Henrietta Capon had a lesson for her son, Alfonso, the heir to the Capon di Tutti Capon title. She tried to animalipify that if he made a wrong decision, without his consigliere, he would suffer the consequences. Without a peep or a chirp he would find himself the victim of fowl play. With his weapon cocked, he was a poultry excuse for his roost hero, Gary Cooper. Eggsistentialism eluded him, he became a Friar, gave and tried to pullet into a chickmonaskstery...without being hendered. The cluck stops here...
Etymology: Animal (creature;a living organism characterized by voluntary movement) ^ Amplify (exaggerate or make bigger; to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth)
Imparable
Created by: porsche
Pronunciation: im/par/a/bul
Sentence: A typical imparable would be the story of the bogeyman
Etymology: impair (damage) + parable (short story used to teach a lesson)
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)
Chickshtick
Created by: mweinmann
Pronunciation: chik - shtik
Sentence: Samancluck warned her little one to not peep too loud or her eyes would bug out.... It was just more of her chickshtick, designed to get her little one to behave.
Etymology: Chick (baby chicken) + Schtick (gimmick)
Lieperbole
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: līpərbəlē
Sentence: ”If you make a face, it could get stuck that way”, ”Behave because Santa is watching”, ”This is for your own good”. Many parents use lieperbole to keep their children in line.
Etymology: lie (an intentionally false statement) + hyperbole (exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally)
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COMMENTS:
Very nice. For the win, in my opinion. - mchristof, 2011-06-12: 23:50:00
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Parenfiction
Created by: PeeJaY
Pronunciation: PAIR-REN-FIK-SHON
Sentence: Alice was adept at providing all sorts of parenfiction to stop here eleven sons from fighting with each other.
Etymology: A conjoining of Parent and Fiction describing the untruths manufactured by desperate parents.
Yarnstay
Created by: jimtastic
Pronunciation: Yarn (as in barn)...stay (as in may)
Sentence: The yarnstay of going blind from playing with one's own thingamabob or puffinstuff has been passed on from older generations to younger generations for centuries.
Etymology: yarn: a word only used by grandmothers relating a tale, esp. a long story of adventure or incredible happenings / stay: to suspend or delay (actions, proceedings, etc.).
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COMMENTS:
Great blend of Old English words. - OZZIEBOB, 2007-09-30: 18:07:00
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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