Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To obsess over, and fantasize about electronic gadgets even though you can never figure out how they actually work. n. A beautiful but useless gadget.
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.
Contriviance
Created by: blacklotus90
Pronunciation: kun-triv-ee-ance
Sentence: That new RSS-reading toaster is nothing more than a contriviance!
Etymology: Contrivance (a device to perform a certain task) + Trivial (pointless, useless, futile)
Whatchamashinything
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: wəchəməshīnēθing
Sentence: Ralph loves his gadgets. Though he hardly knows how to use them, he just has to have the newest whatchamashinything.
Etymology: whatchamacallit (used to refer to a person or thing whose name one cannot recall, does not know, or does not wish to specify) + shiny thing (used to express something that is distracting)
Whizzbangst
Created by: rikboyee
Pronunciation: wizz-bangst
Sentence: everytime the electronics catalogue arrived i was filled with whizzbangst
Etymology: whizz bang[new and exciting], angst
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COMMENTS:
jeezwhiz I bet you felt the same way the first time you had celery filled with cheez whiz - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-04: 12:24:00
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Gorgauseless
Created by: weareallbeautiful
Pronunciation: g-or-j-uh-u-s-l-eh-ss
Sentence: Bob stared at the gorgauseless blue object in his hand wondering how it worked when Abby walked by and said "Put my paperweight down Bob!"
Etymology: gorgeous+useless
Gizbo
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: giz/bo
Sentence: Joe had one gizbo after another on his desk. He usually bought them from the Dollar Store and they ran on 'AA' batteries, made wonderful sounds, flashed multi-coloured lights and made great conversation pieces, but served no purpose in the real world.
Etymology: GIZBO - noun - from GIZMO (a small specialized mechanical device) + BIMBO (useless, inconsequential, foolish, or stupid)
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COMMENTS:
Good word - OZZIEBOB, 2008-07-27: 17:45:00
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Thingamabawe
Created by: toadstool57
Pronunciation: thing-a-ma-bah
Sentence: Dave's thingamabawe got him a ton of nifty gadgets that he couldn't work and $10,000 in debt.
Etymology: thingamabob/awe
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COMMENTS:
this works really well with the cartoon - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-04: 11:59:00
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Ifraud
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: i/frod
Sentence: Jolene's excitement lasted about as long as it took for her to pick up Target's new item. Even though she liked to tell herself she shopped at "Tarjay," tonight she had to admit, their new $4.00 music player was nothing but an Ifraud.
Etymology: I-Usually manufactured by Apple but this time Crapple. Fraud: Something intended to deceive.
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COMMENTS:
bigblue lappy 486 or commodore 16 afficionado ? - metrohumanx, 2008-07-25: 02:17:00
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Inflappuation
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: in flap u ay shun
Sentence: When he saw her pink electronic device, Kenny had an attack of inflappuation. Like a magpie obsessed with shiny things, he was attracted to all things from cyber space. So bemused was he that he failed to notice Wendy's "device" was actually her container of Secret deodorant. That is why it is strong enough for a man, but made for a woman!
Etymology: Infatuation (an object of extravagant short-lived passion) & App (short for application...a program that gives a computer instructions that provide the user with tools to accomplish a task)
Whatchamadooz
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /ˌʍʌtʃəməˈduz/
Sentence: My new vacuum cleaner comes with all sorts of whatchamadoozes and wherchamattachits, but the instruction manual only has very ambiguous pictures.
Etymology: From "What does it do?" in the same way that "whatchamacallit" comes from "What do you call it?"
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COMMENTS:
I think that the ambiguous, uncaptioned picture-instructions included with some whatchamadoozes would make a good verboticism. - ErWenn, 2007-06-04: 02:33:00
OK, just to be fair I'm waiting until later today to vote, but rest assured: you've got my vote. One of 'em, anyway. - Clayton, 2007-06-04: 06:27:00
Thanks both for voting and for waiting! - ErWenn, 2007-06-04: 12:08:00
I think they call those drawings Picasholes. I've used one to try to assemble what looked like a simple filing cabinet. Five months, and five friends later, it's almost together! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-04: 15:29:00
Done and done. - Clayton, 2007-06-04: 21:41:00
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Troglobright
Created by: Mrgoodtimes
Pronunciation: Oooh ooohhh ugg ugg flllahhhhh
Sentence: Me like, me want ... me take, so troglobright, so shiny... better than fire, better than wheel... head hurt so shiny.
Etymology: Troglodyte - Bright (lots of light, smart sardonically)
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COMMENTS:
love it...trogolodyte is one of my favourite words! - Nosila, 2011-05-09: 17:26:00
Me like you like, like... hungry
- Mrgoodtimes, 2011-05-09: 18:47:00
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Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by shutz. Thank you shutz! ~ James
Read about Jabberwocky's Garden of Verbal Delights in Verbotoweek.
pronunciation: uh-GOG-uh-tek........... sentence:Poor old Ira Gobler was AGOGATECH at his designer's latest device.He was so AGOGATECH that he let the factory's flaccid finances flow into a virtual vat of vapors while he thoughtfully tinkered and tweaked the tin toys and gamboled among the gizmoes generated just beyond the grounded iron gates of the fabrication facility...Someday...he would write an operator's manual...................... etymology: Agog+at+Technology=aGOGatech!
Sometimes my "comments" seem to appear in the wrong places....if only some clever soul would invent a GIZBO to prevent that.
....my brain hurts.....
Today's definition was suggested by shutz. Thank you shutz. ~ James