Vote for the best verboticism.

'What's with this stupid pen?'

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.

Create | Read

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.

Inkonspicuous

Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: in/kon/spic/u/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

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

sweet - leechdude, 2007-11-06: 21:14:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Abicphany

Created by: fourgirls

Pronunciation: ah-pif-uh-nee

Sentence:

Etymology: abic - Without a pen epiphany - a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something

| Comments and Points

Thenotwritestuff

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: The not rite stuff

Sentence: When the first astronauts went up in space, they had thenotwritestuff for report writing, because the lack of gravity prevented the ink from flowing down the shaft and appearing on official NASA notepaper. This where the famous line, "Houston, we have a problem" was born. After the Astronaut Pen was invented, where you could write upside down or at any angle, proper records could be documented. This was long before any computers were available (except HAL) to enter data. Imagine then how many alien encounters were missed or not reported because the crews had thenotwritestuff! Have you any ink-ling? The biro-ny...they can get a man on the moon, but they cannot invent a pen that does not dry up!

Etymology: The Not (negative) Write Stuff (play on Right Stuff(Essential abilities or qualities;dependability,etc.necessary for success...also name for a Hollywood Movie about astronauts chosen for the space program)

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

zxvasdf Good sentence. Funny, cud have just splurged a buck for a dozen of pencils instead. - zxvasdf, 2008-10-03: 13:39:00

Then they would have had to get the lead out! Cheers! - Nosila, 2008-10-04: 23:08:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Ninscribe

artr

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 and Points

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)

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

I bet Dexter has several pendavers - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-03: 09:47:00

Good word - OZZIEBOB, 2008-10-05: 17:35:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Montblanked

Created by: Kyoti

Pronunciation: Mahnt-blaynkt

Sentence: Rudy scribbled and scratched on his legal pad, leaving dozens of swirly deep grooves, but no discernible ink marks of any kind appeared on his paper, and he was forced to accept that he'd just been completely montblanked.

Etymology: Mont Blanc: fancy French pens with fancy French price tags + Blanked: a term sportscasters like to use to indicate a shutout, especially when referring to the visiting team.

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

so many great words today! - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-03: 09:48:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Pendysfunction

Created by: Wordsmithey

Pronunciation:

Sentence:

Etymology:

| Comments and Points

Extink

Created by: mplsbohemian

Pronunciation: ehks-TINGK

Sentence: Alex scrambled to write down the girl's phone number, only to find that the only writing utensil was extink.

Etymology: extinct + ink

| Comments and Points

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

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

MrDave2176 or inkPENdiment, perhaps. - MrDave2176, 2007-11-06: 09:19:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

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.

----------------------------
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

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Show All or More...

 

Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-11-06: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by vixphilia. Thank you vixphilia! ~ James'

OZZIEBOB - 2007-11-06: 16:53:00
Good word!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-03-03: 00:16:00
Today's definition was suggested by vixphilia. Thank you vixphilia. ~ James

Petrikreink - 2020-03-03: 05:14:00