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.
Babybark
Created by: ekath
Pronunciation: babe-ee-bark
Sentence: The babybark that one sees when entering the vet's office is quite touching.
Etymology: from baby talk + bark
Petsperanto
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: pet spur ann toe
Sentence: Dr. Dooless spoke fluent petsperanto
Etymology: esperanto, pet
Petalect
Created by: debgibson
Pronunciation:
Sentence: He cringed at the petalect in evidence around the veterinarian's waiting room.
Etymology: pet plus dialect
Furnacular
Created by: ziggy41
Pronunciation: Fer-nack-yoo-ler
Sentence: It takes hard working and determination, almost 7 years in college, and 4 years of trade school to learn the furnacular of pets.
Etymology: Fur (the hair of certain animals) + vernacular (language spoken in a specific place)
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COMMENTS:
how did I miss this one? great word - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 12:50:00
Extra-good. I should've waited to vote. Seems like this definition spawned an unusually remarkable set of words. - Clayton, 2007-06-08: 13:13:00
I agree. Very good! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-08: 14:00:00
Thanks all! There were many good words for this definition. - ziggy41, 2007-06-09: 22:18:00
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Dogguage
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: dog/gwij
Sentence: The 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: dog + language
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COMMENTS:
Did they speak in doggerel? - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 08:58:00
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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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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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Petolish
Created by: Wordotwist
Pronunciation: Pet o lish
Sentence: When I first came to the US,I found it far easier to understand the petolish people used to speak to their pets,then the English they spoke to me.
Etymology: A combination of pet and lish as in English,Spanish,yidish etc.Joined by the o sound commonly used by owners in words addressed to pets.
Furbotomy
Created by: toadstool57
Pronunciation: fur-bot-o-mEE
Sentence: Ernie (my dog) and I use furbotomy to communicate. The bad thing is, he has a larger vocabulary then I.
Etymology: fur/verbotomy
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COMMENTS:
that's ruff - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-08: 12:10:00
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Dogguage
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: dog/gwij
Sentence: The 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: dog + language
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