Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n An invented language similar to baby talk, used by pet owners to communicate with their pets. v. To speak to an animal using an invented language.
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.
Petsperanto
Created by: Clayton
Pronunciation: pets-puh-RAHN-toh
Sentence: Petsperanto became fashionable once again in the 23rd century, but by then it resembled Klingon. Later it would lean more toward bafflegab, just as it always had, but Star Trek was taken a bit more seriously in those halcyon days. Of all the people to reanimate, why'd they pick Shatner?
Etymology: pet + Esperanto
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COMMENTS:
I couldn't decide between "Petsperanto" and "Espetanto." If somebody wants to take the other one, I'm cool with that. - Clayton, 2007-06-08: 02:15:00
probably his singing prowless? - jadenguy, 2007-06-08: 09:51:00
fabulous word Clayton - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 12:14:00
maybe they like Shatner because he's such a 'regular' guy - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 12:15:00
I'm only giving Shatner a hard time. I've decided also that I should've gone with "Espetanto." So hasty sometimes. - Clayton, 2007-06-08: 13:07:00
I love petsperanto - it's a great word and I referred to Shatner as being a regular guy because he does all those bran commercials - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 13:25:00
"Petsperanto" is better than "Espetanto". - ErWenn, 2007-06-08: 14:12:00
I'm glad to hear that he did do bran commercials, Jabberwocky, because that's the kind of regular I was thinking of when you first said it, and I thought maybe my mind was just in the gutter...toilet...whatever. - ErWenn, 2007-06-08: 14:13:00
it's a good thing Clayton chose Shatner and not JL Picard - that would have led to all kinds of silliness - we could have even encorporated Galwaywegian's baldipachitis into it - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 14:39:00
"Espetanto" has a nice ring to it, though. Damn, now I can't decide again. If anybody reading this works at a coffeeshop, please invent the Espressperanto. I'll take fifty of the most confusing drink known to man, please. - Clayton, 2007-06-08: 16:24:00
Sounds like coffee with a dash of Spanish fly - petaj, 2007-06-08: 22:25:00
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Caterwail
Created by: porsche
Pronunciation: cat/ur/wayl
Sentence: It was very annoying listening to her caterwail with her kittens
Etymology: cat + caterwaul + wail
Petlangue
Created by: remistram
Pronunciation: pett-lang
Sentence: Whenever Kay petlangued with Fifi she'd nip her on the nose.
Etymology: pet + langue (language)
Critterchatter
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: CRIT-ehr-chat-ehr
Sentence: Felicity had such a deep emotional bond with her pets that she even developed an extensive critterchatter, a language that only she and her pets understood.
Etymology: Blend of 'critter' (animal) and 'chatter' (light conversation)
Googoologos
Created by: diyan627
Pronunciation: goo-guh-lue-gus
Sentence: Cynthia's husband gets so embarrassed when she starts the googoologos when they have company over at their house. Cynthia just goes into this other mode when the dog, Lucy, comes around. No matter how much he tells her how absurd she sounds, googoologos is a refined mode of communication for her and her dog. He's started to keep lucy behind a baby gate in the back bedroom when the guests are there. That way, Lucy is out-of-sight, out-of-mind, and they can have adult conversations with their guests. And no one gets embarrassed.
Etymology: Goo-Goo= baby talk + logos= words, logic
Dogguage
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: dog/gwij
Sentence: Jenny's language of choice for her three pups was dogguage. Even though it was gobbledygook to everyone else and sounded cutsey-wutsey, her pups were bonded to her and understood every rhyming couplet of her dogguage and loved her for it.
Etymology: DOGGUAGE - noun - from DOG + LANGUAGE
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COMMENTS:
Very clever. - Mustang, 2008-08-01: 16:31:00
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Poochuguese
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: pooch u geez
Sentence: When Maria cuddled her dog, she spoke fluent Poochuguese. She switched to Felinese when talking to her cat and Pintoguese when talking to her pony.
Etymology: Pooch (pet dog) & Portuguese (Iberian Romance language spoken in Portugal and Brazil; Portuguese Water Hound, a breed of domesticated dog from the Algarve region of Portugal)
Critterfranca
Created by: serendipity9000
Pronunciation: cri-ter-frank-a
Sentence: He used to love sitting on his favorite bench in the park - until SHE started showing up each morning muttering in critterfranca to her poodle.
Etymology: critter (animal/pet) + franca (from lingua franca - any lanugage used as a way of speaking to others who speak different languages)
Crittergibber
Created by: mplsbohemian
Pronunciation: KRIH-tuhr-jihb-uhr
Sentence: Alex's frustration at his girlfriend's constant crittergibber to her fish was no so much about the noise per se, as the fact that she was truly unaware the fish couldn't reply.
Etymology: critter + gibberish. The word for this definition, ideally, is really cutesy.
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram! ~ James
purpleartichokes - 2007-06-08: 04:52:00
Great definition remistram! Outstanding submissions already! Gonna be hard voting today.
Jabberwocky - 2007-06-08: 12:11:00
I wish I could vote for every word today
jadenguy - 2007-06-08: 12:16:00
I guess everybody's creative juices are flowing since the weekend is upon us. Contentment envelops us like a warm wind on a brisk morning stroll.
ziggy41 - 2007-06-08: 12:40:00
ahh that's got to be an exact replica of my dog in the pic!
ErWenn - 2007-06-08: 14:04:00
Holy crap, there's a lot of good words today!
Verbotomy received a very positive review today in the The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper. The story quotes words created by Stevenson0, Clayton and Rikboyee. See more: The Globe and Mail: Getting together to make up words.
Jabberwocky - 2007-06-08: 15:18:00
figures ziggy41 would have a k9
jadenguy - 2007-06-08: 15:43:00
I want a pug but I'm often concerned about not noticing it where i walk.
texmom - 2007-06-08: 21:44:00
It really was hard to choose. Petois just had that touch of class.
administraitor - 2007-06-09: 17:58:00
Toronto’s venerable “Mop & Pail” as the paper is affectionately known, is what led me to Verbotomy on Friday. My first instinct was to submit “Doggerel” then realized that it was in no way sufficiently twisted to survive! I’m looking forward to a lotta laffs with this!
mplsbohemian - 2007-06-10: 19:58:00
Dang, I just came up with a much better word, and it's too late for me to enter it: gerbilish!
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James