Vote for the best verboticism.

'It's all strategic positioning.'

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.

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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.

Camofile

Created by: Akarroa

Pronunciation: Kam-oh-file

Sentence: Artie was achieving a high score on Tetris when he heard the sound of his boss's cheap leather shoes squeaking down the hall; a cue to camofile.

Etymology: Camoflauge, file

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COMMENTS:

Good one! - Nosila, 2009-11-17: 17:46:00

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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:

playdohheart 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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Faketivity

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: fake-tiv-i-ty

Sentence: Wally was so well practiced in the art of faketivity that his pointy haired boss never knew that in 20 years he never once accomplished a single task. It was probably a good thing since Wally was so incompetent that he probably would have caused the company to go belly up if he had actually done any work. It was especially laughable that he won employee-of-the-month several times because the pointy haired boss thought he was really working hard.

Etymology: fake: having a false or misleading appearance; fraud + activity: the state of being active; energetic, lively; participate in specific pursuits (Wally is a character in the comic strip Dilbert who is always standing around holding a coffee cup, going to meetings and getting involved in conversations without ever actually working. Nevertheless he somehow always manages to stay under the pointy haired boss' radar and collect his paycheck.)

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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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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

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Scampress

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: skam-PRESS

Sentence: Jonathan had various ways to scampress his coworkers and supervisors by making it appear that he was not only hard at work but was performing above and beyond his experience level while actually being totally incompetent in his real job.

Etymology: Blend of the words 'scam' (a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation) and 'impress' (influence in opinion)

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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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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

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Laborfeign

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: LAY - bor - fain

Sentence: Elliot was an absolute master of laborfeign and had his boss and almost all of his office mates convinced he was struggling to achieve results while in reality he was accomplishing nothing, nor even putting forth any real effort.

Etymology: Blend of 'labor' (work), and 'feign' (to represent fictitiously; put on an appearance of)

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Fantasimulabor

metrohumanx

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:

metrohumanx 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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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-05-01: 00:31:00
Today's definition was suggested by petaj.
Thank you petaj! ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-05-01: 01:33:00
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

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2008-07-17: 00:58:00
A word that NEEDS no introduction...