Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: n. A technological innovation that doesn't work as expected because "normal people" can't figure out how to use it. v. To improve something in a way that makes it much harder to use.
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.
Defeature
Created by: Discoveria
Pronunciation: Dee-fee-chur
Sentence: The car's inbuilt automatic window-unsteaming feature was nothing but a defeature, because the on/off button was almost under the driver's seat.
Etymology: Defeat + de- + feature. Defeature also happens to be an obsolete word for the noun "defeat" or for a deformity.
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COMMENTS:
Badget was taken by someone else...:D - Discoveria, 2007-03-21: 08:42:00
"Defeature" is better anyway. - ErWenn, 2007-03-21: 17:45:00
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Modconjob
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: mod-con-job
Sentence: It was all hype and bonhomie in the sales pitch, but I've hit the trough of disillusionment with this modconjob.
Etymology: mod con (modern convenience) + con job (trick pulled by a confidence artist)
Technospastic
Created by: Sketchy
Pronunciation: tech-NO-spas-TIC
Sentence: Shirley was feeling technospastic after hours of trying to figure out her new universal remote. "Screw It"! She grumbled to herself, as she hurled the badget at the television set, and got up to change the channel.
Etymology: technology, techno, spastic, spasm
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COMMENTS:
Thank you bulletchewer for "badget". - Sketchy, 2007-03-21: 14:52:00
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Technifficult
Created by: mweinmann
Pronunciation: tek - nif - eh - kult
Sentence: Seymour found that the voice activated answer lines were very technificult. If he chose option 1, he was only left with three options, none of which fit his question. If he chose option 2, there were four options, unrelated to his question, and so on and so on until he gave up and hung up.
Etymology: technical, difficult
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COMMENTS:
Excellent! - splendiction, 2009-10-07: 21:40:00
We've all been there... - Nosila, 2009-10-07: 23:50:00
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Techurdle
Created by: wordmeister
Pronunciation: tech-her-del
Sentence: Windows Vista is so full of techurdles that it practically trips over itself everytime it starts up.
Etymology: tech+hurdle
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COMMENTS:
I like that one! - jedijawa, 2007-03-22: 00:10:00
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Whatchamadowithit
Created by: ekath
Pronunciation: whachama-do-with-it
Sentence: Its kind of sad when my mom tries to figure out how to operate her whatchamadowithits. Usually I sigh and show her, for example, how to turn her cell phone on.
Etymology: from whatchamacallit and not-knowing-what-to-do-with-it
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COMMENTS:
Man, I spent almost an hour trying to think of something like this, but the best I could think of was "howjamauseit". I'm glad somebody was able to find a better solution than that. - ErWenn, 2007-03-22: 00:45:00
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Dehancement
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: dee-hans-ment
Sentence: New & improved! Fear these words. Too often they announce the dehancement of a product from tried and true to unfathomable.
Etymology: degrade (to lower in dignity or estimation; bring into contempt) + enhancement (to raise to a higher degree; intensify; magnify)
Dimvention
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: dim ven shun
Sentence: The new time-saving innovation in lighting should have been a breeze. But people tend to overthink things and could not understand that if you clapped your hands once, the light would go on, twice and it would brighten in intensity and three times it would turn off. Some people clapped all night trying to get this dimvention right...
Etymology: Dim (lacking clarity or distinctness;slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity)& Invention ( creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation)
Einstymie
Created by: purpleartichokes
Pronunciation: EIN-sty-mee
Sentence: Sue was all thrilled to get her new cell phone, but after reading through the 245 page manual and realizing she didn't have a clue as to how to turn on the damn thing, she realized she had purchased yet another Einstymie.
Etymology: Einstein, stymie (A situation or problem presenting such difficulties as to discourage or defeat any attempt to deal with or resolve it.)
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COMMENTS:
very good - Jabberwocky, 2007-03-21: 11:31:00
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Guytech
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: gītek
Sentence: Bryan\'s life is full of guytech devices. From his watch that keeps time in eight time zones, functions as a stop watch, alarm, gaming device and spy camera to his laptop computer or Crackberry, if it*s new and cool he has it. Does he know how any of it works? Not a clue! He likes to babble in jargon even when he makes no sense but, truth be known, he has a VCR sitting next to his 90-inch hi-def TV that has blinked 12:00 since the day he got it.
Etymology: guy (a man) + tech (technology) a play off of high-tech
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by erasmus.
Thank you erasmus! ~ James
Today's definition was suggested by erasmus. Thank you erasmus. ~ James