Vote for the best verboticism.

'That's cool technology! It's my deodorant.'

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.

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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.

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

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Electrowidget

Created by: texmom

Pronunciation: e lect o wid jet

Sentence: He bought the $600 red electrowidget as a gift for himself on Father's Day even though he had no clue what it was.

Etymology: electro - run by electricity widget - something non-understandable but useful.

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Eieio

Created by: shutz

Pronunciation: e-i-e-i-o, as in "Old McDonald had a farm"

Sentence: He kept buying eieios, and was running out of room to keep the useless but sexy gadgets.

Etymology: Comes from the recent marketing trend of adding e- and i- previxes to otherwise ordinary names to make them hip, current and modern. Also, the "io" part vaguely relates to "input/output", which is intrinsic aspect of all electronic devices, and can also

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COMMENTS:

eieiooooo or eieioh would work as well! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-04: 13:28:00

You got my vote for originality and creativeness! - Stevenson0, 2007-06-05: 21:43:00

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Wowidget

Created by: LonePaladin

Pronunciation: wou-wij-it

Sentence: 1. It's always fun to watch Phillip wowidget over the latest cell phones. 2. Just about everything sold at Sharper Image is a wowidget; nice to look at, but do you really need it?

Etymology: 1. Wow + 'idjit' (slang for idiot) 2. Wow + widget

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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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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)

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Gorgeberry

Created by: w5lf9s

Pronunciation: gorge-berry

Sentence: He had loved it. The shiny touch screen. The color display at the back. The "find me in the dark" function. The sleek leather carrying case. He had looked at it a hundred times that first day he'd had it. He hadn't taken it to the office right away because it had been such a pleasure to imagine the look of sheer envy in his colleagues' eyes when he would pull it out of his briefcase the first time. He had thoroughly enjoyed that first time! Last night on TV he saw an ad for the NEW model ... a new gorgeberry!

Etymology: gorgeous+blackberry (also related to the verb "to gorge" as in "devour" or "consume")

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Doohickey

Created by: colapop

Pronunciation: \ˈdü-ˌhi-kē\

Sentence: Alice flashed her doohickey at Todd and he was floored. 'Wow, what is that?' he exclaimed, itching to get his hands on the device. 'No no Mister, don't you dare touch my doohickey until you've read the manual' she cooed.

Etymology: 'Doohickey' first originated in 1914, but seems fit for a revival. It derives from the word 'doodad' (gadget) + 'hickey' (love mark)

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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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Gadgedweeb

Created by: serendipity9000

Pronunciation: ga-dja-dw-ee-b

Sentence: He was always buying the latest pretty gadgets but never could get them to work - he is such a gadgedweeb!

Etymology: Gadge (from gadget) + dweeb (a person regarded as socially inept or foolish)

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-06-04: 01:33:00
Today's definition was suggested by shutz. Thank you shutz! ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-06-04: 01:55:00
Read about Jabberwocky's Garden of Verbal Delights in Verbotoweek.

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2008-07-25: 00:56:00
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!

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2008-07-25: 01:12:00
Sometimes my "comments" seem to appear in the wrong places....if only some clever soul would invent a GIZBO to prevent that.

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2008-07-25: 01:20:00
....my brain hurts.....

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-12-29: 00:10:00
Today's definition was suggested by shutz. Thank you shutz. ~ James