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.
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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Bombtronic
Created by: mweinmann
Pronunciation: bom - tron - ik
Sentence: Bernice's new bombtronic device failed miserably as a phone or as a browser either. It looked cool, sounded cool but she could not make or receive phone calls or navigate to any web sites. None of the games that came on it worked well either. She just liked to carry it around, show it off and hear all the cool ring tones.
Etymology: bomb (to fail, blow up), electronic
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")
Enigtronic
Created by: libertybelle
Pronunciation: en-ig-tron-nick
Sentence: Mabel spent 2 clueless hours fiddling with her new cell phone before she realized the enigtronic device had to slide open. That was after she broke the phone in two trying to flip in open.
Etymology: enigma + electronic
Whatchamacovet
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: wha-tcha-ma-cov-it
Sentence: Jim watchamacoveted the new marvelous toy that his neighbor's son got for Christmas. "A wonder to behold, it was, with many colors bright. And the moment he laid eyes on it, it became his heart's delight. It went 'zip' when it moved and 'bop' when it stopped and 'whirr' when it stood still. He never knew just what it was, and I guess he never will".
Etymology: whatchamacallit: something whose name is unknown or forgotten; a widget, gadget, gizmo, doodad, thingamajig or doohickey + covet: blameworthy desire for another's stuff; wish for longingly. "The Marvelous Toy" (apologies to Tom Paxton)was a song sung by Peter, Paul and Mary (RIP) about a mystical toy, handed down from father to son, that had no name, no purpose, but seemed to have magical powers to amuse and delight the recipient.
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COMMENTS:
Good blend...I remember that old song! - Nosila, 2009-12-30: 01:53:00
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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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Technoideum
Created by: CharlieB
Pronunciation: teck-no-id-e-um
Sentence: Billy's dad is so uncool. He's got an iPad and an iPhone and a Blackberry and a Twitter account, but he's never even heard of Angry Birds. He's a total technoideum.
Etymology: techno (short for technology) + no idea (clueless) + idi (incomplete form of idiot) + um (expressing hesitation)
Gizmobsession
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: giz mob sess shun
Sentence: Brandy had a gizmobsession with her latest purchase. She showed it to all her friends who thought it was cool, but did not understand its function. Truth is, Brandy did not know what it was for either. Her friends were too embarrassed for her to point out that her latest download app was actually a letter opener/windshield scraper mounted on a fridge magnet...
Etymology: gizmo (a device that is very useful for a particular job; something whose name is either forgotten or not known) & Obsession (an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone)
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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Nonowhatitis
Created by: josje
Pronunciation: no know what it is
Sentence: nonowhatitis, is it good?
Etymology:
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