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.
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)
Frupenstration
Created by: remistram
Pronunciation: fruh-pen-strey-shun
Sentence: By digging a small grave for all his old pens helped his frupenstration anxiety, but he did keep his favorite purple pen under his pillow - in case the pen fairy happened to come around.
Etymology: frustration + pen
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COMMENTS:
has a great sound to it - would be very satisfying to mutter when searching for a pen - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-06: 14:03:00
thanks! I was going to go with fruspentration, but it sounded odd...! - remistram, 2007-11-06: 16:20:00
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Inkconspicuous
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: in/kon/spic/yu/us
Sentence: Maybe if he pressed hard enough on the paper he would be able to see an outline of his words but the pen was virtually inkonspicuous.
Etymology: ink + inconspicuous
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COMMENTS:
Like it! - TJayzz, 2008-10-03: 14:28:00
good one! - Nosila, 2008-10-03: 20:15:00
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Expendead
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: ex-pen-dead
Sentence: Every pen I find in this house is expendead.
Etymology: expended: used up; consumed + pen + dead
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COMMENTS:
exzcellent - Nosila, 2010-03-03: 23:51:00
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Leftwritewrong
Created by: serickson
Pronunciation: left rite rong
Sentence: Mary, where is the pen I put here yesterday? What do you mean I didn't put it ther; of course I did. Here it is, what did I tell you! (Oh, shucks, I am definitely not telling Mary I'm having another leftwritewrong. It did too work when I put it there, and I do not have Alzheimer's!)
Etymology: leave-left-had left..to put something somewhere and let it stay there; write-right-rite..mantra spoken when looking for a pen; wrong..both you and the pen
Impentent
Created by: zxvasdf
Pronunciation: Im pen tent
Sentence: He scrambled for a pen as soon as a Pulitzer winning idea took shape in his brain, but as many have before and many will afterwards,encountered impentency. The idea faded, leaving him to angrily mutter at the pen, "Impertinent impentent pen!"
Etymology: Impotent (sterile) & Pen (writing instrument)
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COMMENTS:
He needds some Viagra in his ink! - Nosila, 2008-10-03: 20:18:00
I've seen Viagra on pens, but I would be extremely concerned if I found some in my pen. - zxvasdf, 2008-10-03: 23:11:00
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Plastick
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: plastik
Sentence: Tommy thought he had a drawer full of pens. When he went to use them he found one plastick after another. He might as well have a fistful of tongue depressors.
Etymology: plastic (a synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers such as polyethylene, PVC, nylon, etc) + stick (a thin piece of wood that has been trimmed for a particular purpose)
Styless
Created by: pungineer
Pronunciation: Style/less
Sentence: Winston's major coronary failure was prompted when he was left styless in his own home, at the very moment he needed to write down the number flashing before him on the screen, his thoughtless children had taken all the functioning pens to school...
Etymology: Stylus - writing utensil + Less - opposite of more
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COMMENTS:
No doubt his children thought he was styleless too. Daaaad, don't pick me up from school wearing that. - petaj, 2007-11-06: 07:09:00
ha, that'll teach them to steal all the good pens! - pungineer, 2007-11-06: 12:02:00
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Bickenscratch
Created by: xirtam
Pronunciation: bic-en-skrach
Sentence: With the only pen I could find out of ink, I had to bickenscratch the phone number into the note pad so I could read the indentations later.
Etymology: bic: a brand of pen + Chicken Scratch: slang; poor or illegible writing. Scratch: To write or draw by scraping or cutting the lines into a surface.
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COMMENTS:
To be precise, this is the inevitable result of the event described, but I like it! 'He bickenscratched his way through the morning until he finally found a pen that worked.' - Tigger, 2007-11-06: 13:23:00
I like it too. Resembles my grocery list. - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-06: 20:01:00
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Inkommunicado
Created by: yellowbird
Pronunciation: inka-myoo-knee-ka-dough
Sentence: I was inkommunicado at the meeting and I think my boss might have noticed.
Etymology: ink + incommunicado (not able to communicate)
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