Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n. The slow but steady rise of murmurs, coughs or harrumphs in audience. May indicate dissatisfaction, or the presence of a lethally infectious virus. v. To clear one's throat
Verboticisms
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Cacoughony
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: kəkôfənē
Sentence: It started with a sniffle in the lobby. It soon swept over the entire audience and most of the cast. The cacoughony brought the production to a halt.
Etymology: cacophony (a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds) + cough (expel air from the lungs with a sudden sharp sound)
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COMMENTS:
Excellent!! - CharlieB, 2011-01-28: 05:05:00
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Coughscendo
Created by: allwise
Pronunciation: coff-schen-do
Sentence: And as the pianist lost his 3rd note, the mighty coughscendo rose to a murmur and he knew it was the end of his career.
Etymology: cough + crescendo
Ahemdemonium
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: uh-hem-duh-moh-nee-uhm
Sentence: When the comedian crossed the line of good taste the room was overtaken with ahemdemonium. The ensuing cacophony left him no choice but to take a quick bow and exit the stage. The departure drew a standing ovation.
Etymology: ahem (an utterance similar to the sound of clearing one's throat, used to attract attention, express doubt or a mild warning, etc.) + pandemonium (wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos)
Heckspectorate
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: hek spek tor ayt
Sentence: By the 12th act of the one man autobiographical play, the audience was starting to heckspectorate a lot. The haughty performer was convinced that a nasty virus was circulating throughout the theatre...he just did not realize that it was he who was making them all sick.
Etymology: Heckle (to try and embarrass someone speaking or performing by making noises, or wisecracks) & Expectorate (discharge (phlegm or sputum) from the lungs and out of the mouth)
Murviling
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: mer-VYL -ing
Sentence: What began as barely audible hissing and grumbling grew to outright murvilign as the audience grew more and more displeased with the cheesy and unprofessional performance of the cast of the play.
Etymology: Blend of 'murmur' (a mumbled expression of discontent. ) and 'revile' (to assail with contemptuous or opprobrious language; address or speak of abusively)
Hawkandtalk
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: hawk-and-talk
Sentence: It never fails...I shell out a fortune for tickets to hear my favorite band and I end up in the hawkandtalk section. Folks, stay home if you're sick, get better and next time leave the phone. Yeesh!
Etymology: hawk: clearing phlegm from the throat in a noisy manner; hacking + talk
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COMMENTS:
This one struck a nerve. - mrskellyscl, 2009-09-15: 08:10:00
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Yelpiglottis
Created by: mweinmann
Pronunciation: yellp - eh - glot - tis
Sentence: When Francie grew bored with the subject material or plot of a movie, she expressed her displeasure with a yelpiglottis sound. Those around her did not know if they should call a doctor or call her rude.
Etymology: yelp (An abrupt, high-pitched noise or utterance; To utter an abrupt, high-pitched noise, The basic call of the wild turkey) epiglottis (A flap of tissue (cartilage) located in the throat just above the larynx)
Heclear
Created by: erasmus
Pronunciation: heck lear
Sentence: the entire front row was trying to heclear their throats which made it look like a mass sneeze.
Etymology: from heckle and clear as in clearing your throat or making a point clear.
Muttremor
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /ˌmʌtˈtɹmɚ/
Sentence: The comedian estimated that the muttremor rated about a 6 on the Rancor scale, meaning that a riot wasn't yet likely, but that he should probably tread carefully and avoid any racial slurs.
Etymology: From mutter + tremor
Crowndswell
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: rhymes with groundswell
Sentence: A few sneezes and coughs soon escalated into a riotous crowndswell of snorts, hiccups, gagging, hacking and spluttering that forced the thespians to don surgical masks.
Etymology: groundswell (movement by the general population) + crowd (the audience in this case) + swell (grow, rise)
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by galwaywegian.
Thank you galwaywegian! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by galwaywegian.
Thank you galwaywegian! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by galwaywegian.
Thank you galwaywegian! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by galwaywegian. Thank you galwaywegian. ~ James