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.
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)
Kinetinertia
Created by: verysimplegame
Pronunciation: ki-ne-tin-er-sha
Sentence: His kinetinertia was a difficult balancing act - to remain active and involved while not actually DOING anything bordered on a science.
Etymology: Kinetics + inertia
Actionpression
Created by: mana1066
Pronunciation: ack-shun-preshun
Sentence: If i didn't have a convincing actionpression, i would be layed off by now
Etymology: action + impression
Feigndustrious
Created by: mweinmann
Pronunciation: fayn - dus - tree - us
Sentence: On his good days Harold was feigndustrious as he at least pretended to be busy for most of the day. On his bad days, he sat at his desk and played solitaire with a deck of cards but no one seemed to notice but me.
Etymology: fein, industrious
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COMMENTS:
good one - Nosila, 2009-11-17: 17:48:00
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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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Fantasimulabor
Created by: metrohumanx
Pronunciation: FANT-UH-SIM-YOU-LAY-BURR
Sentence: Since reading was prohibited at the library's circulation desk, everyone engaged in various degrees of FANTASIMULABOR. One portly cretin had been at it for so long that she actually believed FANTASIMULABOR would bring her academic accolades aplenty. Using smoke and mirrors, she had turned PROductivity into CONductivity. Her work ethic was so well camouflaged as to be completely undetectable, and the deception was made complete by her total lack of anything resembling a personality.
Etymology: FANTAsy+SIMUlated+LABOR
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COMMENTS:
I LOVE retirement!
Ars longa vita brevis. - metrohumanx, 2008-07-17: 00:56:00
great sentence - Jabberwocky, 2008-07-17: 14:10:00
She should read "Personality for Dummies" Terrific sentence. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-07-20: 07:15:00
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Slackofflage
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /ˈslækəˌflɔʒ/
Sentence: The key to successful slackofflage is an untidy workspace; if your boss can identify each paper on your desk and window on your computer screen, then you've already lost.
Etymology: From "slack off" + "camouflage"
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COMMENTS:
nice. - playdohheart, 2007-05-01: 07:12:00
Thanks. - ErWenn, 2007-05-01: 09:20:00
Nice word, I tried going down the camouflage path but I couldn't come up with anything. Cheers! - Goldentongue, 2007-05-01: 10:14:00
Funny! - HubbMU, 2007-05-03: 12:52:00
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Exertsham
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: exert/sham
Sentence: The illusion of working is an age old problem and is also known as walking the dog, a government job, or exertsham.
Etymology: EXERTSHAM - noun - from EXERT (to put oneself into strenuous, vigorous action, or effort)+ SHAM (something that is not what it purports to be; a fraud, or hoax)
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)
Filibluster
Created by: pinwheel
Pronunciation: fill/ee/blust/er
Sentence: Jemima spent the whole day working out what she would do if she won the lottery and managed to filibluster her way out of being given any new assignments.
Etymology: filibuster (using delaying tactics) + bluster (noisy bluffing)
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COMMENTS:
excellent! - Jabberwocky, 2007-05-01: 10:28:00
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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...