Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To create an illusion of busyness so that your co-workers, and most importantly your boss, never realize that you have absolutely nothing to do. n. A person who pretends to be very busy.
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.
Choreshaminvention
Created by: TJayzz
Pronunciation: Chor-sham-in-vent-shun
Sentence: Charles had perfected the art of the Choreshaminvention, whereby he would spend all day at his desk looking so busy when he was actually doing nothing at all. His co-workers began to wonder how he managed to cope with the workload. In fact he was so good at it that he was thinking about writing a book and perhaps even a film script about his talent
Etymology: Chore(a routine or tedious task) ORIGIN Variant of obsolete Char or Chare + Sham (Pretence, bogus, false) ORIGIN Northern English dialect variant of SHAME. + Invention (Something invented, a false story) = Choreshaminvention
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COMMENTS:
a film and a book?? way too much work - Jabberwocky, 2008-07-17: 14:07:00
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Sleightofhandyman
Created by: ziggy41
Pronunciation: slyte-ov-han-dee-man
Sentence: Watch Joe over there, his use of sleightofhandyman may make a manager think twice about giving him work, but he's been nailing that same nail for the past hour.
Etymology: Sleight of hand (trickery, deception) + handyman (a worker hired to do various jobs)
Graftdodging
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: graft doj ing
Sentence: he was a devout graftdodger who had at least three sabbaths a week
Etymology: draft dodger, hard graft
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COMMENTS:
Good word. Dunno why nobody else has voted for it yet. - ErWenn, 2007-05-01: 22:06:00
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Proletarryat
Created by: bookowl
Pronunciation: pro/le/tary/at
Sentence: A proletarryat is an expert at wasting time and looking oppressed.
Etymology: pro (expert) + tarry (delay) + at + proletariat (laboring class)
Shamployee
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: sham ploy ee
Sentence: Sam was a shamployee. He spent a lot of energy avoiding real work by pretending to be busy. He gets hundreds of calls and e-mails a day (from family, friends, telemarketers) and he has to go to endless rounds of meetings with outside contacts and on many missions to customers outside the building (movie theatres, restaurants, casinos.) Sam's not alone...there is a Sam in most companies: The Loafer in the shoe store or bakery; the Abstainer in the paint company; the Clock-Watcher in the Watch Factory; The Wool-gatherer in the sheep station; The Idler in the mechanic shop; The Slacker in the men's wear store;The Sluggard in the Garden Centre; The Lazybones at the Orthopedic Surgeon's; the Trifler in the cake shop...they are everywhere!
Etymology: Sham (something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be;a person who makes deceitful pretenses;make believe with the intent to deceive) & Employee (a worker who is hired to perform a job)
Knoemotion
Created by: abrakadeborah
Pronunciation: No-Moe-shun
Sentence: Able was in the midst of knoemotion all hours of the day. He would constantly ask, "is there anything I can help you with?" When I knew I could finish the project quicker than I could explain what he already knew needed to be done.
Etymology: Know - A play on the word know and no. Motion - Movement.
Dilbertification
Created by: pepperpatti
Pronunciation: dil-bur-ti-fi-kashun (after first two syllables, pronounced like identification)
Sentence: Since he started despising his job, he's been dilbertificating every day.
Etymology: origins trace back to Dilbert, a comic strip character created by Scott Adams that has since become the mascot of cubicle workers everywhere.
Taskmasker
Created by: purpleartichokes
Pronunciation: task-mass-kur
Sentence: Phil was a professional taskmasker; I don't know how he was able to look busy all the time when everyone knew he had absolutely nothing to do.
Etymology: taskmaster, mask
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COMMENTS:
excellent! - toadstool57, 2007-05-01: 07:15:00
one LOL and one vote for you. - ohwtepph, 2007-05-01: 09:39:00
Nice word Artichokes! - Goldentongue, 2007-05-01: 10:11:00
great word purple - Jabberwocky, 2007-05-01: 10:38:00
Thanks! - purpleartichokes, 2007-05-01: 12:41:00
Fantastic, as always. - Osomatic, 2007-05-01: 13:47:00
Hmmm - I wonder who you are referring to? - paperhoard, 2007-05-01: 14:58:00
Phil is an "imaginary" coworker. He excels at imagining himself working. - purpleartichokes, 2007-05-01: 15:15:00
Brilliant. - petaj, 2007-05-02: 05:40:00
That's awesome! - jedijawa, 2007-05-03: 13:27:00
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Fakupied
Created by: Berlioze
Pronunciation: FAKE-yoo-pied
Sentence: Bill passed by Bob's desk to ask him for assistance, only to find Bob sitting at his desk, scrutinizing the pile of papers before him. Bill continued on, not wanting to bother the obvioulsy occupied Bob. Little did Bill know that Bob was not occupied but fakupied.
Etymology: Combination of "fake" (anything made to appear otherwise than it actually is; counterfeit) and "occupied" (having one's attention or mind or energy engaged).
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COMMENTS:
good job! - reverb, 2008-07-19: 06:36:00
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Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by petaj.
Thank you petaj! ~ James
Congratulations to petaj for her win last week. We are offering a new Verbotomy Cup for the top player this week. And next week, we are doing theme on Cory Doctorow, and offering his newest book "Overclocked" as a prize to the top writer. See more about Cory at his blog www.craphound.com ~ James
A word that NEEDS no introduction...