Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To exercise power through the strategic use of personal insults, while pretending to offer encouragement. n. A leader who motivates people by insulting them.
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.
Ensluragement
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: en-slur-age-ment
Sentence: Margot was always ready to give ensluragement whenever someone got above their raisin by thinking they could do her job as well as she did. That way she could eliminate the competition and still sound like she was trying to help her underlings.
Etymology: encouragement: to inspire hope, courage or confidence + slur: to talk about disparagingly or insultingly; to cast a disparaging remark
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
It takes slurrage to stand up to your subordinates. - artr, 2010-01-06: 09:20:00
----------------------------
Dozenator
Created by: readerwriter
Pronunciation: duz-en-ate; duz-en-a-tor
Sentence: She came on like she was from the hood, street-smart, street-wise, getting it on, taking us down with her tongue. Man, she thought she was original Dozenator, the Queen of Put Downs. But, it was all a show. "Heh, heh...Just jivin' ya," she always said in quick retreat.
Etymology: From the slang, "dozens," meaning to put others down + ate/ ator, giving action and/or title
Upsult
Created by: badsnudge
Pronunciation: \up-ˈsəlt\
Sentence: "Sure, you're lazy. But its the ambitious people who are destroying the planet.", he upsulted.
Etymology: up (from uplift) sult (from insult)
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Good one, badsnudge...compact! - Nosila, 2008-08-05: 22:24:00
Very Good. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-08-06: 04:55:00
Succinct and bound to become trendy. Bravo! - metrohumanx, 2008-08-06: 16:28:00
----------------------------
Powerdissplay
Created by: guesser
Pronunciation: Power + dissplay
Sentence: To powerdissplay your employee in front of your customers is an awful thing to do.
Etymology: Power (of a boss)+ Diss (slang --> to put down + play (display)
Goaddigger
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: gode/dig/ur
Sentence: Our new MD is such a goaddigger that he simultaneously hurls insults and backslaps with lightening speed, "Builds moral" he screams as he steps over a flattened colleague
Etymology: goad + digger (supervisor) + gold digger (bully, vixen, tease)
Snideypraise
Created by: TJayzz
Pronunciation: Sny-dee-pray-ze
Sentence: Rebecca thought she was a great boss, she didn't even realise by the way she encouraged her staff by mixing encouragement and insults in the same sentence, her staff could actually see right through her and knew all along that she was using the snideypraise method.
Etymology: Snidey(derogatory or mocking in an indirect way) + Praise(to express warm approval of) ORIGIN preiser Old French to prize, from Latin pretium 'price' = Snideypraise
Slurport
Created by: bigdog
Pronunciation:
Sentence: My team lead always makes me look like an idiot during meeting when he sandbags me with a public show of slurport for my work.
Etymology: slur - impugn one's character or ability + support - to encourage
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Good one. - petaj, 2007-06-12: 07:51:00
----------------------------
Mastard
Created by: Clayton
Pronunciation: MAS-terd
Sentence: H. Clancy Pettigrew was a mastard of insultimate penuriousadism. His misanthrapaciousness was rivaled only by his truculentertaining friendishness.
Etymology: master + bastard
----------------------------
COMMENTS:
Interestingly, there is a rhetorical term for the art of insulting people without them knowing it: Charientism. Traditionally it means "the act of stating something objectionable in an agreeable manner." - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 08:25:00
I love this sentence. It's a cornucopious assemblerection of tonguetwisting verbsmithery. - petaj, 2007-06-12: 08:41:00
I get it from years of reading Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty. Please don't tell anyone! - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 08:48:00
you're secret's safe with me. - jadenguy, 2007-06-12: 10:01:00
Nooooo! The only way three people can keep a secret is if two of me are already dead! Now I'll have to start reading other lunatics with undying affinities for pointless displays of frantic hippopotomonstrosesquipedalianism. - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 10:11:00
Wow! love the sentence - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 15:00:00
----------------------------
Comments:
The second step in Timothy Johnson's GUST process is Understanding. And apparently, based on the number of definitions we received on this topic, everybody understands what it is like to have a bad boss. Today's definition was suggested by ohwtepph , suzanne, and remistram. Thank you ohwtepph, suzanne, remistram, and Timothy! ~ James
lumina - 2008-08-07: 13:49:00
Wow! So fun and an honor to have come up with the "winning" word. "I'd like to thank the Academy, my parents and of course Jesus." ha Thanks to the voters! (she says as the music starts playing and the tap dancing man with the hook from the gong show comes into view...)
Today's definition was suggested by ohwtepph. Thank you ohwtepph. ~ James