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.

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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| Comments and Points

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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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:

| Comments and Points

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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| Comments and Points

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)

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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.

| Comments and Points

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

| Comments and Points

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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| Comments and Points

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)

| Comments and Points

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:

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