Vote for the best verboticism.

'You can't put paper towels in the paper recycling!!'

DEFINITION: n. Anxiety created by an inability to understand or follow the regulations for recycling, composting and garbage collection. v. To feel confused and conflicted because you produce too much garbage and don't know how to get rid of it.

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Verboticisms

Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...

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Ecodisorderaphobia

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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Conrefusion

Created by: Biscotti

Pronunciation: kon-ref-ew-zhun

Sentence: Jack was in conrefusion when the city made a new ordinance that paper could not be put out to the street in a paper bag; instead it had to be put in a city approved styrofoam bin. The bins always ended up breaking about once a month; causing great conrefusion and suffering for the citizens of the city.

Etymology: Confusion (not understanding) + Refuse (garbage or trash)

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COMMENTS:

Great ending twist in your last sentence that gives your verboticism the double meaning beyond the two meaninngs of both words in your etymology. Very clever! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 13:03:00

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Greentard

youmustvotenato

Created by: youmustvotenato

Pronunciation: green-tard

Sentence: This cup is kinda glossy, is it paper or plastic? Gosh, this is confusing. I feel so greentarded.

Etymology: green-to help the environment; retarded-lacking certain abilities.

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Biobefuddlement

Created by: toadstool57

Pronunciation: bIO-bE-fud-dull-ment

Sentence: Jill is scared to approach the recycle and compost bins, experiencing bouts of biobefuddlement, shaking and sweating as she tries to pick the bin to toss her trash.

Etymology: biodegradable/befuddlement,as in confused

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COMMENTS:

Two big B's blended, so I buzzed by to say nice etymology. Meaning full verboticism. Good word! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 13:41:00

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Bogustogreen

metrohumanx

Created by: metrohumanx

Pronunciation: bow-GUST-oh-green

Sentence: Trudy and Dave carefully separated ALL their plastic bags from the thousands of disposable juice boxes and miniature half-ounce cat fuel tins. Trudy bought a rechargeable electric car which really ran on toxic strip-mined coal produced near the Rocky Mountains, and Dave developed a nasty squint because he'd replaced all their light bulbs with underpowered compact fluorescent curly tubes filled with carcinogenic chemicals. Trudy and Dave felt extremely BOGUSTOGREEN when the gargagemen arrived and tossed all that carefully sorted waste into the same truck and shipped it off to a landfill in an economically depressed region where folks were GLAD to fill in a verdant valley just to lower their own property taxes. BOGUSTOGREENIES everywhere blissfully ignored the principles of minimal packaging, returnable bottles and NOT bringing all that crapola home IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Etymology: BOGus+gUSTO+GREEN=BOGUSTOGREEN.........BOGUS:not genuine;obsolete argot bogus counterfeit money 1825...GUSTO:enthusiastic and vigorous enjoyment or appreciation,: vitality marked by an abundance of enthusiasm; Italian, from Latin gustus, past participle 1620.....GREEN: relating to or being an environmentalist,pretending to preserve environmental quality (as by being recyclable, biodegradable, or nonpolluting )

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COMMENTS:

metrohumanx Recycling is a sham. Less than 2% really gets reused, but I do it anyway. - metrohumanx, 2009-01-15: 02:02:00

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Distrashed

Created by: galwaywegian

Pronunciation: diss trah sssh d

Sentence: He didn't feel totally rubbish, but admitted to being a trifle distrashed

Etymology: distressed trash

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Discomposture

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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Stuckuptreehugger

Created by: kimmi

Pronunciation: stuck up tree hugger

Sentence:

Etymology:

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Trashcombobulation

Created by: spotthecat1

Pronunciation: trash-kuhm-bob-yuh-ley-shun

Sentence: Stella and Stan spent hours sorting through the remains of their mega-market shopping splurges and in a fury of trashcombobulation threw all the refuse in a giant Hefty™ bag and carefully deposited the unsorted mess in their neighbor's pile. The only witness was the owl who just blinked and asked, "Who?"

Etymology: (trash)1325–75; ME trasches (pl.), appar. c. Norw trask rubbish; akin to OE trus brushwood, ON tros rubbish + (dis-combobulation) 1825–35, Americanism; fanciful alter. of discompose or discomfort

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COMMENTS:

Very informative etymology! - silveryaspen, 2008-03-25: 13:21:00

Nice! - purpleartichokes, 2008-03-25: 15:19:00

Very nice - OZZIEBOB, 2008-03-25: 20:06:00

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Compuzzled

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: kämpəzəld

Sentence: Environmentally-friendly, green, recycle, reuse, compost... It all leaves Jerry compuzzled.

Etymology: compost (decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer) + puzzled (to feel confused because they cannot understand or make sense of something)

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-03-25: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James

stache - 2008-03-25: 02:10:00
I love the "IDEAS" bin.

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-03-25: 05:32:00
Thanks stache. That's the bin where I put out my old ideas for recycling. ~ James

Jamagra - 2008-03-25: 08:07:00
James... maybe you could recycle those ideas my way? Love the cartoon and the word, but today... I got nothin'.

Jamagra - 2008-03-25: 09:10:00
Oh! Thought of something. I'm good now!

remistram - 2008-03-25: 10:23:00
got our massive bin last week...process is a bit more streamlined, am happy now!

purpleartichokes - 2008-03-25: 11:15:00
Lucky you, remi... our community recycling consists of loading the stuff up in your car and taking it to the recycling center on one of the few days/hours that they happen to be open. Sucks. I did get a FREE compost bin from our state env. protection folks. $80 value. My mother (and only my mother) is so proud!

My Rottin' Poem

I love my compost pile!
It thrills me to the bone
To think that all that wilted slop
Will enhance the crops I've grown!

I garden with a passion,
And I compost with a zeal.
I collect the coffee grounds at work
And cherish every peel.

In my cellar I compost in winter
Much to my son's dismay.
Though sweet to me, the smell can chase
Unwanted guests away.

My pile in the summer
Is a another sad slop story.
The dog next door gulps the gourmet treat,
Then regurgitates... quite gory.

The peels get strewn about my lawn
By some midnight compost thief.
I try to promptly pick up the stuff,
Before the neighbors give me grief.

The egg-shells never make it
To calcify my plants.
The birds steal most of the precious shards
Or they get toted off by ants.

My composting efforts without a bin
Have been daunting, to say the least.
By the time the stuff finally starts to rot,
It gets eaten by some beast.

So you see, kind folks at DEP
Why it's for a bin I pray.
If I can clean up my compost act,
The neighbors might let me stay!

silveryaspen - 2008-03-25: 13:09:00
Funtastic rhyme and reasoning!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-03-25: 16:22:00
Hey purple, I figured you loved vegetables, and guessed you were a dedicated composter, but composting in your basement??? Yikes!! Maybe that's why your shower curtain is covered in mildew. ~ James

Jamagra - 2008-03-25: 17:25:00
Purple, I am very proud of you too! You grow, girl!

purpleartichokes - 2008-03-25: 18:21:00
Um, yeah, I actually did compost in the basement in a garbage can. Apparently, I didn't add enough "browns" to the mix, cuz when I dumped it in the spring, the neighborhood smelled like a cesspool for days. ...oops. Thanks Jamagra! I'm gonna try my hand at a giant punkin this year! James - thanks for the idea. I bet that shower curtain junk would compost nicely!

arrrteest - 2008-03-25: 18:37:00
Great poem, too! I used to have a worm composting bin. At least the kids thought it was cool.

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-06-01: 00:31:00
Today's definition was suggested by remistram. Thank you remistram. ~ James

youmustvotenato youmustvotenato - 2011-10-18: 10:29:00
greentard

AlenaTable - 2018-06-01: 03:13:00
Широкий ассортимент биопрепаратов для перерабатывающих предприятий и сельского хозяйства

Tamaratequera - 2018-06-01: 18:07:00
Древторг Woodtrade, пиломатериаl