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.
Pronehoundsiation
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: prone hownd see ashun
Sentence: Maggie used pronehoundsiation when speaking to her pet dogs. She was sure they had a simpler grasp of our language and therefore litterally spoke to all of them as though they were stupid, hard of hearing and/or impervious to the teasing of other pets. Her schmoogie-woogie Schnauzer; her oodly-noodly Poodle; her chewzie-woozie Chihuahua; her orky-dorky Yorky and her musky-wusky Husky were all equally embarrassed by her linguistic torture. So they made a pact, every time Maggie used her verbal offensives on them, they would respond in cat-talk. When she used her endearments on them, they would reply with various impersonations of "Meow" "Mew" "Yowww" "SSSSSSSSSSS" and "NoooWWWWW". Maggie was so impressed that she bragged to her friends that her dogs had become bilingual. Isn't that itty, bitty, kitty nifty??? Who's feline better?
Etymology: Pronunciation (the manner in which someone utters a word)& Hound ( any of several breeds of dog)
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COMMENTS:
PRONEHOUNDSIATION ! PEALS of uproarious laughter, Nosila. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-01: 06:26:00
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Dramaticpaws
Created by: carpefactum
Pronunciation:
Sentence: Whenever Muffy talked to her cat, it always seemed like a long dramaticpaws.
Etymology:
Petois
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: pet-twa
Sentence: Madeleine took her tiny dog off to Paris in her handbag and spoke to it lovingly in petois to stop it barking on the Metro. It was a curious mix of French and doggy noises.
Etymology: pet + patois (non-standard speech/creole)
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COMMENTS:
good one. - texmom, 2007-06-08: 07:19:00
Excellent word petaj - hmm... I wonder why you have pet in your pseudonym - perhaps petios is your second language - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 09:05:00
today is a day when good words truely run a plenty. i wish i'd've come up with something this good. stupid television filling my brain with laughter and not verbotomies. - jadenguy, 2007-06-08: 09:37:00
You're just lucky I work all day--that word was my first instinct! - mplsbohemian, 2007-06-08: 20:15:00
petois occurred to me straight away when i checked the cartoon before leaving work. Then I had to go to tennis and didn't get home for a couple of hours, so I was hoping that no one else would think of it. - petaj, 2007-06-08: 22:18:00
I'm embarrassed to admit that my only second language is verbotomese. Typically in Australia, most of us have not become fluent in anything but English. - petaj, 2007-06-08: 22:29:00
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Critterspeak
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: CRIT - ehr - speek
Sentence: Clarissa had an emotional bond with her pets that bordered on derangement and had even gone so far as to develop an entire vocabulary of critterspeak that she sometimes absent mindedly used when conversing with people.
Etymology: Blend of 'critter' (any creature) and 'speak'.
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COMMENTS:
BORDERED on derangement? Methinks she was Home, Home on deranged.... - metrohumanx, 2008-08-01: 06:46:00
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Petalect
Created by: debgibson
Pronunciation:
Sentence: He cringed at the petalect in evidence around the veterinarian's waiting room.
Etymology: pet plus dialect
Googoopet
Created by: Robyn
Pronunciation: GOO-goop-et
Sentence: "Es dat mummy's widdle puddy tat? Yes hur es! Yes hur es!" Ever since Sara got a baby kitten, she stopped speaking standard English and devloved into fluent googoopet.
Etymology: Goo - glue or sticky substance. Goop - gluey substance Pet - companion animal.
Linguapeta
Created by: Borogove
Pronunciation: ling-wa-pe-ta
Sentence: Her linguapeta differed when she approached the ugly pug.
Etymology: From 'lingua', latin for language and pet
Critterpatter
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: crit-ter-pat-ter
Sentence: Norma cuddled and stroked Barkley, sending out a stream of high-pitched, sappy critterpatter at the puppy, who wiggled and wagged with delight at the attention. Everyone else in the room, though,thought she had completely lost her mind.
Etymology: critter: animal + patter: meaningless talk; chatter
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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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