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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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)
Ifrenzy
Created by: ellboogie
Pronunciation: I-fren-zee
Sentence: Vickie was all in an ifrenzy about the new v16.327 64 ziggybyte Waystahdoe going on sale for $995 at the Peachy Computers store. Bobby couldn't wait to replace his old ifrenzy that she bought three weeks ago.
Etymology:
Yabadabadoodad
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: ya/ba/da/ba/do/dad
Sentence: Fred kept tripping over his big flat feet every time he encountered a new yabadabadoodad.
Etymology: doodad + yabadabadoo
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COMMENTS:
like the roombstodon, the self guided vacuum pachyderm? *wop wop* it's a livin'. - jadenguy, 2007-06-04: 12:36:00
I'd make a comment about Wilma's vibraptor, but that would be sacrilege. - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-04: 13:58:00
You rock. *cough* - Osomatic, 2007-06-04: 17:34:00
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Exquizmo
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: eks kwiz mo
Sentence: On their second Christmas together, you'd think he'd have learned. When she opened the fancy wrapping of her gift, she was blown away by the deep flamingo colour, studded in rhinestones. It looked high-tech, but gorgeous and she tried to guess what was the real purpose of this exquizmo present. He'd selected it himself in a store and thought it was pretty. A few minutes later their warm cozy Christmas morning turned icy when she realized it was a fancy ladies' razor. "Am I really that hairy?" she demanded. Yes, he should have learned after last year's fiasco...when he bought her a fancy new broom and she exploded, "Am I supposed to ride this to work???"
Etymology: Exquisite (of extreme beauty;lavishly elegant and refined;of delicate composition and artistry) & Quiz (What is it?) & Gizmo (a device that is very useful for a particular job;something whose name is either forgotten or not known)
Imacguffin
Created by: Osomatic
Pronunciation: i + mac + guff + in
Sentence: I don't know what this new iMacguffin is, but I MUST HAVE ONE.
Etymology: iPhone, iPod, etc... only applied to a Macguffin.
Beautronic
Created by: abrakadeborah
Pronunciation: Bew-tron-ik
Sentence: Al was in awe of Katie's shiny new beautronic device. To his dismay...it was not something he could compute.
Etymology: Taken in part of the word Beautiful: "Beau" - The concept of beauty. Taken in part of the word Electronic- "Tronic" - Of or pertaining to electronics or to devices, circuits, or systems developed through electronics
Utensilly
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: you/tense/silly
Sentence: Chris had a workshop full of every utensilly ever sold on the shopping channel.
Etymology: utensil + silly
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COMMENTS:
Nice word. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-07-27: 17:46:00
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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)
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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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