Vote for the best verboticism.

'My nose hairs are scary!'

DEFINITION: n. A tool which has been re-purposed and is now being used (perhaps unsafely) to perform a completely different function. v. To use a tool for a different purpose than for which it was originally designed.

Create | Read

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.

Dimprovise

Created by: FreakyDeak

Pronunciation: Dimm-pro-vize

Sentence:

Etymology: Dim + Improvise

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

like it ! - galwaywegian, 2010-09-21: 03:22:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Macgyvervise

Created by: Tigger

Pronunciation: mak-gai-ver-vais

Sentence: When Dean returned to the parking lot only to find that some vandal had ripped the spark plug wire off his motorcycle, he pulled out his handy little wire-bound notebook, unwound the wire, and used that to MacGyvervise the spark plug wire, and was quickly on his way home.

Etymology: MacGyver - fictional television character known for his inventive use of common items, and practical science, to solve problems. + Improvise - to make or provide from available materials.

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

If you read my sentence, that really happened to me. - Tigger, 2009-03-09: 01:57:00

metrohumanx I believe, Tigger. I once plugged a vacuum hose on my Toota Corolla with a golf pencil and escaped from very unsavory suburb just in the nick of time. - metrohumanx, 2009-03-09: 02:04:00

metrohumanx And iu repaird my muffler at a rest stop with an empty tomato paste can, aluminum foil, and the ever-useful coat hanger! - metrohumanx, 2009-03-09: 02:22:00

metrohumanx Mye pennmonchip seams toobe deteriorating az da nite wears on....zorry! - metrohumanx, 2009-03-09: 02:24:00

Truth is always stranger than fiction. Great Create! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-09: 11:07:00

what do you mean fictional? - galwaywegian, 2009-03-09: 12:00:00

he pulled out his handy little wire-bound notebook, unwound the wire, Very inventive and good word there & fast thinking on your part to repair your motorcycle!> (and used that to MacGyvervise the spark plug wire, and was quickly on his way home.) - abrakadeborah, 2009-03-14: 19:01:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Conglomergreats

Created by: silveryaspen

Pronunciation: cun glom er grates

Sentence: Alan Rench was out camping. He liked to rough it in the mountains. His sawtoothed blade doubled as his comb. His screw driver stirred his beans in the tin bucket, simmering over the campfire, as it hung by the tire iron, held aloft by his jack. His plate was one of his hubcaps. His pocket knife did triple duty, for he used it as his spoon and fork, too. He sang the old saw "I eat my beans with honey. I done it all my life. It makes 'em taste quite funny, but it keeps 'em on my knife." He also used his pocket knife to scrape his hubcap plate clean. Alan's multi-duty use of all his tools made them his conglomergreats!

Etymology: CONGLOMERATE - mix of many things. GREAT - large in number. So tools that be used for a mix of many things in a large number of ways are conglomergreats.

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

It's a bit of a tongue twister, but if you can eat your beans off your knife, your tongue won't trip over it! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-09: 01:11:00

metrohumanx I'd LOVE to camp out with you! - metrohumanx, 2009-03-09: 01:13:00

metrohumanx Did you know you can cook flounder on your engine's manifold? It's VERY eco-efficient ! - metrohumanx, 2009-03-09: 02:18:00

I'd only cook a fish on the manifold for the halibut! And ps, silvery, they should be called BEEns! - Nosila, 2009-03-09: 22:53:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Toastercoaster

Created by: Stevenson0

Pronunciation: toe/ster/coe/ster

Sentence: The toastercoaster is a wonderful invention for making toast and keeping your hot chocolate warm.

Etymology: toaster + coaster

| Comments and Points

Bioactinomaniac

RightOnTheWin

Created by: RightOnTheWin

Pronunciation: {Bi-o\act-in-no\maine-knee-ack}

Sentence: He knew his obsession would overwhelm him as he encountered the octopus; he immediately allowed his bioactinomaniac habits to control him, and began cutting up the octopus with his finger nails.

Etymology: bio:living organisms. actino: having rays, radiating spines, or tentacles. maniac:one with an obession.

| Comments and Points

Toolfoolery

Created by: mweinmann

Pronunciation: tool + fool +uree

Sentence: It is toolfoolery to think that you can use a rezorblade as a screwdriver, a wrench as a hammer or a chainsaw as a scissors. Injury can often occur and body parts can be broken, mangled or lost.

Etymology: Tool + Fool + Tomfoolery >> Tool (A device or process that is used to do some kind of work) Fool (a person who lacks good judgment) Tomfoolery (folly: foolish or senseless behavior)

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

Love the way it captures the way we go toolin' around. Excellent creation! - silveryaspen, 2009-03-09: 11:11:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Electrocutilize

karenanne

Created by: karenanne

Pronunciation: ee lek tro CYU til ize

Sentence: Stumpy likes to electrocutilize power tools for more mundane purposes. Last year, he electrocutilized his belt sander to polish his shoes - while he was still wearing them. That's why his nickname is Stumpy.

Etymology: electrocute + utilize

| Comments and Points

Megatool

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: megətoōl

Sentence: Gene believes in the megatool approach to life. If a task requires the use of a tool bigger is always better. He has a military surplus flame thrower that he uses to start his charcoal grill. You have a rusty bolt? If his jaws-of-life can't loosen it, they can lop it off so you can replace it. His wife drew the line when he started talking about a pneumatic hammer fly swatter. She has 911 on speed-dial.

Etymology: mega (very large; huge) + tool (a device or implement, esp. one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function)

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

Perhaps Gene is a megatool for Black & Decker. - otherguy, 2009-03-09: 06:43:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Overtool

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: ōvərtoōl

Sentence: Hal likes to overtool every thing he does. He shaves in the morning with a machete that he sharpens and hones for 20 minutes. He mows his half-acre lawn with a combine after mixing cocktails in a Hobart 20-quart commercial mixer. He doesn’t see his numerous trips to the ER as an indication that he should change, just as a source of stories to share at the local hardware store.

Etymology: overkill (the amount by which destruction or the capacity for destruction exceeds what is necessary) + tool (a device or implement, esp. one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function)

----------------------------
COMMENTS:

RightOnTheWin Really neat concept ! - RightOnTheWin, 2010-09-21: 09:33:00

----------------------------

| Comments and Points

Flybomb

Created by: QuantumMechanic

Pronunciation: FLY bom

Sentence: He could not get the school kids to stay off his lawn, so he pulled a flybomb and mowed his yard every morning at 8am, throwing grass clippings at them.

Etymology: From setting off a bomb to kill a fly, destroying the whole room in the process.

| Comments and Points

Show All or More...

 

Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-03-09: 00:01:01
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2009-03-09: 02:27:00
Thank YOU, James Gang...for the excellent illustrations! ARS LONGA VITA BREVIS! MetrohumanX

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-03-09: 11:02:00
And thank you metrohumanx, for supplying so many wonderfully prickly ideas! ~ James

yellowbird - 2009-03-09: 20:52:00
Just the cartoon made me smile. No need to read the words today!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-09-20: 00:53:00
Today's definition was suggested by metrohumanx. Thank you metrohumanx. ~ James