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.
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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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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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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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
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.
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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Digidrivel
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: didge ee drivvle
Sentence: he spoke complete and utter digidrival in a desperate attempt to ingratiate himself with the hot new techie.
Etymology: digital drivel
Whatchamashinything
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)
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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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
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