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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Wowidget
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: wouwijit
Sentence: Wendell spends much of his spare time in the wowidget store admiring the newest **gotta haves**. The fact that he doesn*t understand them does little to suppress his awe. He does understand that his vocabulary is being truncated by people who don*t have time for all those pesky syllables. He used to buy applications. Now they are just apps. He used to use a telephone. Now it is just a phone (soon to be a pho or fo?) He also knows that he is quickly running out of mon(ey).
Etymology: wow (expressing astonishment or admiration) + widget (a small gadget or device, esp. one whose name is unknown or unspecified)
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)
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.
Doohickey
Created by: colapop
Pronunciation: \ˈdü-ˌhi-kē\
Sentence: Alice flashed her doohickey at Todd and he was floored. 'Wow, what is that?' he exclaimed, itching to get his hands on the device. 'No no Mister, don't you dare touch my doohickey until you've read the manual' she cooed.
Etymology: 'Doohickey' first originated in 1914, but seems fit for a revival. It derives from the word 'doodad' (gadget) + 'hickey' (love mark)
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.
Gizmotional
Created by: purpleartichokes
Pronunciation: giz-mo-shun-uhl
Sentence: Bob became gizmotional and overwhelmed with gadgeglee upon opening his new 10-in-one remote control, until he realized the only button he recognized was "On".
Etymology: gizmo, emotional
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COMMENTS:
very heartfelt purple - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-04: 12:01:00
Good word. - ErWenn, 2007-06-04: 12:09:00
Good thing I didn't add the part about him pushing the down button and crushing the neighbor's cat under their garage door. (flintstones, meet the flintstones... thanks for my current bout of tunacy jabber. grrrrr....) - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-04: 12:13:00
Word of the day. I get so gizmotional, baby... every time I watch Gremlins Two-hoo-hoo. - Clayton, 2007-06-04: 21:45:00
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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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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