Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v., To search for and find a pen to write down an important note, only to discover that the pen does not work. n., A moment in time when the only pens you can find, are pens that do not work.
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.
Birony
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: by ron ee
Sentence: It was one of life's bits of birony that Fred could only find pens in his house that were all out of ink. He could never find the write stuff!
Etymology: Biro (a pen that has a small metal ball as the point of transfer of ink to paper) & Irony (incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs)
Forsakepen
Created by: MrDave2176
Pronunciation: for-SAYK-pen / KWILL-kwest
Sentence: Joel was feeling foresakepen. His quillquest netted him a handful of nibarren plastic rods useful for little more than stirring coffee. Nibarren = empty nib (the thing that dispenses the ink)
Etymology: foresa(ken) + pen / quill (a quill is always useless without ink) + quest
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COMMENTS:
very good - lots of great words in your sentence - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-06: 11:40:00
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Inkompentense
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: ink kom pen tens
Sentence: Inkredibly inkonvenient is what he thought. Here he was trying to find a pen that worked to write down the number given him on the phone message he had just accidentally erased from his answering machine...while that number was still in his head. His inklination was to give up, but it would be inkonsiderate to not call back and arrange that interview. Heaven knows his inkome relied upon his getting hired for this great job. At this moment, without a functioning pen, he was in a state of inkompentense. Luckily, he found his cell phone and managed to get the number inkarcerated into it, before it was lost in the fog of poor memory. Hopefully he would not sound inkoherent at his interview...
Etymology: Incompetence (inability of a part or organ to function properly) & Ink (a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing) & Pen (writing implement) & Tense (make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time)
Penopausal
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: pen-o-PAWZ-uhl
Sentence: Penopausal made Bob feel powerless when it caused him to miss a once in a life-time date with Jennifer Hawkins.
Etymology: PEN:a writing implement& PAUSE: to cause to cease +AL: suffix:kind of, pertaining to.
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COMMENTS:
very funny ozzie - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-03: 09:44:00
Good one! - TJayzz, 2008-10-03: 13:09:00
What happens when you combine penopausal with a menopausal woman...? I shudder to think about it. - zxvasdf, 2008-10-03: 13:40:00
Murder, She Wrote! - Nosila, 2008-10-03: 20:19:00
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Inkpediment
Created by: Tigger
Pronunciation: ink-PED'e-ment
Sentence: Unable to find a working pen, Barbara walked from room to room repeatedly chanting the phone number, while hoping to overcome her inkpediment.
Etymology: ink + impediment
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COMMENTS:
or inkPENdiment, perhaps. - MrDave2176, 2007-11-06: 09:19:00
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Pendaver
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: pen/daver
Sentence: It's another of Murphy's Laws that writing utensils turn into pendavers when an important message needs to be scribbled.
Etymology: PENDAVER noun - from PEN (instrument for writing) + CADAVER (a dead body)
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COMMENTS:
I bet Dexter has several pendavers - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-03: 09:47:00
Good word - OZZIEBOB, 2008-10-05: 17:35:00
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Pentrialdysfunction
Created by: bzav1
Pronunciation: pen + trial + dysfunction
Sentence: Sometimes, after a long stressful day, even though Jerry really wanted to write, he would suffer from pentrialdysfunction. His wife would reassure him, tell him everyone has trouble writing sometimes and that she would help him find a pen that worked in the morning, after a good night's sleep.
Etymology: oh my!!
Penmurphy
Created by: cawnpore
Pronunciation:
Sentence: When he finally met her and got Jessica's phone number, he penmurphied (and later that evening killed himself).
Etymology: pen+murphy (from Murphy's law)
Pendemonium
Created by: ahniwa
Pronunciation:
Sentence: "I can't ... what!? Hold on ... no, I need to write this ... yeah, one sec ... crap, no ... the pen's broken! Yeah, no ... it's pendemonium over here, no doubt."
Etymology: Inky pandemonium.
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COMMENTS:
I like it! - lumina, 2008-10-05: 11:36:00
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Ninscribe
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: nin-skrahyb
Sentence: It doesn't matter how many pens he owns, Larry always finds the one that has no ink and proceeds to ninscribe whatever urgent message he is trying to retain. Some of his pens even play jokes on him by writing a few works before transforming into paper scratchers.
Etymology: ninja (mercenary in feudal Japan reported to possess the ability to be invisible) + inscribe (to mark a surface with words, characters, etc.)
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by vixphilia. Thank you vixphilia! ~ James'
OZZIEBOB - 2007-11-06: 16:53:00
Good word!
Today's definition was suggested by vixphilia. Thank you vixphilia. ~ James
Petrikreink - 2020-03-03: 05:14:00