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

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Technoideum

CharlieB

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)

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Whatchamashinything

artr

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)

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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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Nerdbrain

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: nurd-breyn

Sentence: John has to have every new device or gadget that hits the market. The only problem is he is such a nerdbrain that he can barely figure out how to open the package much less than make it work. The good thing is that he has pristine items to trade in or re-sell when the new one comes out.

Etymology: nerd (stupid or ridiculous person ) + birdbrain (a stupid, foolish, or scatterbrained person)

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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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Elecon

Created by: duchessella

Pronunciation: E-le-con

Sentence: I know it is just an elecon, but I can't stop thinking of that newly released electronic can opener!

Etymology: From "electric gadgets" and "Lolicon" In Japanese pop culture, "-con" is a suffix for attraction, fantasy and/or obsession to a certain characteristic in a person, for example Lolicon means attraction to young girls (lolita). Alternative meaning is "elegant icon" - the sleek, beautiful, elegant fashion icon electronic gadgets are to us nowadays.

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Nonowhatitis

Created by: josje

Pronunciation: no know what it is

Sentence: nonowhatitis, is it good?

Etymology:

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Newtonspire

Created by: jadenguy

Pronunciation: New - Tin - Spire

Sentence: She coughed into her sleeve as she roamed the back alleys looking for her available dumpster, one left undisturbed by the savage local gearheads; the south side seemed promising, teeming with office parks rented often to failed startups. Her next hit of Newtonspiration would come in the form of a smart-minifridge. The internet would never go want for her milk-status again!

Etymology: Apple Newton + inspire or perspire or maybe just a spire, like the holy thing on churches that doesn't really mean anything in modern Christianity (look it up).

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COMMENTS:

great story as usual jadenguy - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-04: 12:21:00

thanks! i really like to put time into carefully crafting the exact feel of my word through narrative. - jadenguy, 2007-06-04: 12:33:00

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Whatchamacovet

mrskellyscl

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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Electrogadge

Created by: monkeyx013

Pronunciation: e-lekt-roh-gahj

Sentence: Stick your meta data in my electrogadge!

Etymology: From chimpanzee culture

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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