Verboticisms

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: il lit ter as see

Sentence: Betty & Bob both suffered from illitteracy. They still could not figure out what was recyclable, compostable or just plain trash. They even tried joining Waste Watchers. This confusion was further added to by their garbage collectors, who were moody jokers. Sometimes they would take away the stuff, sometimes not. After all Bob & Betty's efforts and research on the Web about environmental responsibility, imagine their surprise if they found out that their town just dumped it all in the same landfill anyway!

Etymology: Ill (sick from; distressing; a cause for complaining ) & Iliteracy (an inability to read;ignorance resulting from not reading) & Litter (garbage, refuse, trash, especially that left in public places)

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Created by: stache

Pronunciation: ĭ-cō'sĭs

Sentence: Seeing Marge drop the aluminum can into the plastics bin gave Homer a wave of ecosis.

Etymology: ec, Middle English ick, from Latin icere, ick-, disease of aquarium fish; os, Origin: bef. 900; ME; OE ōse < L osa; akin to Gk óson, system of operation; is, depends on what "is" is.

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COMMENTS:

stache, you must have checked out my book on Etymology: The Big Book of Where'd That Come From? - doseydotes, 2008-03-25: 09:11:00

We try to learn from the masters. - stache, 2008-03-25: 09:44:00

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Created by: petaj

Pronunciation: waste not woe not

Sentence: Zach's wastenotwoenot had become so bad that he had resorted to interviewing his great grandmother about how she used to crochet floor rugs from fabric scraps, rinse out bread bags for re-use, use magazine pages for toilet paper and boil up soap scraps to create a new bar of soap.

Etymology: waste not, want not (adage from the old days of environmentalism, known as the great depression when everything that could be reused was) + woe (sorrow, anxiety)

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COMMENTS:

they really had the right idea didn't they? - Jabberwocky, 2008-03-25: 12:14:00

So true! So glad you presented this important part of the issue, the heart of the matter. Sentence and word are Superb! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 12:52:00

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Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: dis/com/post/yur

Sentence: I hurried down the street with my sunglasses on, listening to my ipod, so that none of the neighbours would notice my discomposture after I had hastily stashed a plastic muffin tray in the recycling bin. It did have a recyling symbol on it but I wasn't sure if the number was acceptable or not.

Etymology: discomposure + compost + dis (as in disrespect)

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COMMENTS:

Oh, how I love compost! Wish there was a song about it. Good word! - purpleartichokes, 2008-03-25: 12:45:00

With originality you have captured the meaning and feeling in the definition again ... with wit and humor thrown in! Outstanding! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 13:28:00

After reading your sentence, I had to google "recycling number" to understand what you are talking about here. Maybe it's because I'm an American, or maybe it's because I live in the middle of the United States (and not on a coast) but I admit I had no earthly idea that there were numbers on recyclables. Alas, we have no curb-side recyclables on my street. - doseydotes, 2008-03-25: 14:19:00

Okay, stache just privately pointed out that there IS, in fact, curbside recycling on my street, and he expressed surprise that I did not know about recycling numbers. I, apparently, am a recylidiot. Or an ecolodork. Or . . . you fill it in. - doseydotes, 2008-03-25: 15:26:00

wow - I think James might have (quite litter/ally)saved a little part of the planet today by choosing such a green definition. No more recylaments doseydotes. - Jabberwocky, 2008-03-25: 15:44:00

I'll be calling the City first thing tomorrow morning to ask for a bin. I'm . . . so . . . ashamed. - doseydotes, 2008-03-25: 17:54:00

Ashaamed, nay! I once thought that the triangular-shaped chasing arrows meant Danger! Crushing this plastic container may cause serious arrow-like injury. - purpleartichokes, 2008-03-25: 19:08:00

Great word - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-25: 20:07:00

Clever creations — love it! - Tigger, 2008-03-25: 23:30:00

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Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: eko dis ord era fob eeya

Sentence: Eric was new to the whole recycling thing. He had thought recycling was when they made the Tour de France be run again. He & Kate spent hours trying to sort all their household waste into suitable categories. You could say they suffered from ecodisorderafobia, because they were always afraid they were sorting their trash improperly. Would the Garbage Police shut them down once and for all for failing to conform? For months they lived with this fear. Finally Eric got brave one morning and approached the garbageman (okay Waste Disposal Technician) as he came down their alley. Biting the bullet he bravely asked the civic employee how they were doing in their sorting efforts. The garbageman winked and chuckled and told him not to worry. When Eric pressed him why he should not worry, he was told that all the stuff was just going to be dumped into the landfill anyway! All these months they had been sorting their trash for the seagulls. It was then that Eric & Kate vowed to become ecowarriors and run for city council.

Etymology: ecology (the environment as it relates to living organisms) & disorder (a condition in which things are not in their expected places or disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed) & phobia ( an anxiety disorder characterized by extre

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COMMENTS:

Your sentence and word do a great job of presenting this part of the issue. Excellent! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 12:48:00

I agree. Your sentence hits on the topic of the economics of recycling, and how recycling programs are only successful when it's economically feasible to recycle (i.e. if it costs more to recycle something, then the program must either be subsidized or abandoned). Very thought provoking. - Tigger, 2008-03-25: 22:58:00

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Created by: Jamagra

Pronunciation: post/con/soom/er/puh/ral'/uh/sis

Sentence: Standing before the five bins with a laundry basket containing 15 pounds of recyclables, Jillian realized that overnight her mild case of "sorter's block" had become raging "postconsumer paralysis".

Etymology: postconsumer waste (packaging left after the goods inside have been used) + paralysis (a state of helpless inablility to act)

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COMMENTS:

Nicely describes the definition!! - purpleartichokes, 2008-03-25: 12:47:00

Your sentence and verboticism also evoke the feeling/anxiety in the definition exceptionally well! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 12:56:00

There a lot of long verboticisms today. Kudos for the longest! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 13:58:00

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Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: dis/com/post/yur

Sentence: I hurried down the street with my sunglasses on, listening to my ipod, so that none of the neighbours would notice my discomposture after I had hastily stashed a plastic muffin tray in the recycling bin. It did have a recyling symbol on it but I wasn't sure if the number was acceptable or not.

Etymology: discomposure + compost + dis (as in disrespect)

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COMMENTS:

Too true! - silveryaspen, 2009-01-15: 12:41:00

Sounds like the makings of great gardening soil - Mustang, 2009-01-16: 01:23:00

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Created by: silveryaspen

Pronunciation: a - re - quire - yous (aka use)

Sentence: The world is developing a new police force, called cyclops, special cops who keep one eye on your trash to make sure you recycle! The penalty for not recycling is being sent to the recycle haz bins, where they will clean you up, dismantle you, and send your living remains to the hospital for re-use! The new reality tv shows might be staged around recyclodramas! The stars of the shows will be the cyclops, riding their recycles with sirens blaring, as they hunt down scattering scared stiffs, who refused to become recyclers. Other recyclodramas would be about the hospitals re-using any living remains from the scared stiffs from the the haz bins. Other recyclodramas would be about the new field of psychiatric medicine repsychclophopia! It seems to be affecting everyone. It is the spawning of the age of arequireuse!

Etymology: Play on the phrase: The Dawning Of The Age Of Aquarius ... Spawning Of The Age of A-Requi-Reuse

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COMMENTS:

Silvery - why don't you just go with Acquire reuse (Acquireuse). It works so well with your Aquarius reference. - Jabberwocky, 2008-03-25: 11:30:00

I can't correct the spelling now ... but you are absolutely right. Had other pressing matters on my mind and didn't give this my full attention and blew it. Thanks Jabberwocky. I really appreciate your helpful comment. - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 12:34:00

I did change it where I could ... everywhere but where it is at the top, and that's what shows up elsewhere. - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 12:36:00

Actually silvery you can change the spelling. Just go to your word and then go to edit. You should see "oops I want to change the spelling of my word" A warning though - everything you tped in before will disappear so you'll have to reenter your etymology and pronunciation and sentence so you should copy that somewhere so you can then paste it in. It's a great word the way it is but you might want to change another word some day. - Jabberwocky, 2008-03-25: 13:18:00

Another good one. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-25: 20:09:00

I just wiki'ed Age of Aquarius — I never really knew what that referred to. I figured it was an astrological reference to something that happened in the 1970's but, to my surprize, the Age of Aquarius hasn't even started yet. I guess that means tie-dyed shirts and bell-bottoms will be making a comeback sometime in the next few hundred years. - Tigger, 2008-03-25: 23:22:00

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Created by: msherman51

Pronunciation: Re foo fewdge'

Sentence: Newspapers, shopping bags, plastics sorted by number, she confidently approached the array of bins; minutes later she was seen still standing in full refufuge, arms outstretched, clutching but unable to release her number 2 plastic juice container.

Etymology: refuse, wretched or otherwise, and fugue, a state of being unable to choose or act

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Created by: karenanne

Pronunciation: ree SIKE oh ahn AL uh sis

Sentence: The amount of recycoanalysis that Ann Ziety goes through just to decide where to put some of her refuse and discarded items makes it almost a second job. It can probably be traced to the fact that her parents are huge environmentalists and were recycling back in the 70's, before it was cool or even all that convenient. All they ever read when she was a child was "Mother Earth" and the Sierra Club magazine, which they then pressed into pellets and burned in their wood-burning fireplace. Ann never feels that she can measure up to her parents' high standards. Even today, they pick through the neighbors' trash and re-sort it into the proper recycling containers. Their neighbors say fondly that they put the "mental" in "environmental." For example, if Ann's mother were reading today's Verbotomy, she would be quick to point out that, of course, used paper towels, as well as napkins and coffee filters, should be COMPOSTED.

Etymology: recycle + psychoanalysis

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