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.
Workplacebo
Created by: toadstool57
Pronunciation: work-plA-cE-bo
Sentence: Jill is considered the workplacebo, acting so busy the boss often comments that all his employees should use her as thier role model. She should get an oscar for her acting in the office.
Etymology: work place/placebo, as in fake
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)
Laborge
Created by: ohwtepph
Pronunciation: ley - bohrj
Sentence: It is often portrayed in television that CEOs are good at laborge-- that is making it seem like they are really working. Donald Trump has nothing to say on this.
Etymology: labor + forge (to imitate fraudulently)
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COMMENTS:
Strangely enough, forge also means, "To advance gradually but steadily", which why laborgery... Oops! Here comes my boss - wordmeister, 2007-05-01: 09:11:00
Oh, trivial! - ohwtepph, 2007-05-01: 09:41:00
Laborgery is fergery! (Since no one has gone down the "erg" path yet.) - purpleartichokes, 2007-05-01: 13:22:00
Ah yes, how about some ergonotics. Hadn't considered that idea. - petaj, 2007-05-02: 05:38:00
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Slackrobat
Created by: karenanne
Pronunciation: SLAK ro bat
Sentence: Robb is a talented slackrobat. He is quick and agile in his avoidance of being pinned down to actual work. His knowledge of media production enables him to circulate around his workplace claiming to be "working on a project." He has two homepage tabs set on his browser so that if someone approaches while he is working on the Verbotomy site, he can quickly click on the other tab, which is his employer's Intranet site.
Etymology: slack(er) + acrobat
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COMMENTS:
Most offices are three-ringed circuses, so they need more slackrobats! - Nosila, 2009-11-17: 17:47:00
Clever...best word of the day! - mweinmann, 2009-11-18: 07:47:00
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Defartmentalize
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: dee/fart/men/tul/ize
Sentence: Josh was able to convince everyone in the office that he was on top of several projects at once. He had the ability to defartmentalize any project thrown his way. Yes, he had gotten so good at allocating everything to others on the sly, that he considered himself the Head of the Customer Service Defartment.
Etymology: Root word: Departmentalize: To organize something into departments. Phrase: fart around: To waste time.
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COMMENTS:
I think my boss is the defartment head. What should I do? - reverb, 2008-07-19: 06:42:00
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Managingdeflector
Created by: porsche
Pronunciation: man/aj/ing/de/flek/tor
Sentence: The managingdeflector in our firm had a job that no one could explain but he was paid a ton of money for walking around with his headset and blackberry
Etymology: managing director + deflect
Fauduction
Created by: zrotv
Pronunciation: fō-dŭk'shən
Sentence: no one was really doing anything productive, but when the boss came in we were all heavily engaged in fauduction, so no superiors were the wiser. (also, to fauduce, or fauducing)
Etymology: faux + production
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...