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.
Dumotivation
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: duhm-oh-tuh-vey-shuhn
Sentence: Lucy thought she could use dumotivation to get her staff going. If she acted like they were stupid, they would strive to prove her wrong. A good number of her employees showed just how smart they were by finding new jobs where they were treated with respect.
Etymology: dumb (lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted) + motivation (inspiration, inducement)
Unspiratarian
Created by: jadenguy
Pronunciation: un spire a terian
Sentence: On the high seas, it was often that Horatio asked himself what his greater destiny was, his raison d’etre. The captain always told him that he wasn't as dumb as he looked, that the only good decision he'd ever made was to find himself a place onboard because the real world would eat him alive, that keeping storage room clean was one thing even he couldn't screw up, that at least he had more facial hair than his wife, but not much. This unspiritarian had all but destroyed the ferocity of crew, but Horatio continued to believe that this was where he needed to be, that great things were going to happen. Few and far between have there been greater moments of forsight.
Etymology: un + inspire + totalitarian
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COMMENTS:
wow, that was a long'un. - jadenguy, 2007-06-12: 09:57:00
perhaps he should have become a unspirational unmotivational speaker - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 12:01:00
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Disencourage
Created by: rephil
Pronunciation: dis-en-CUR-adj
Sentence: Martha made it a point to disencourage everyone in her office before noon every day.
Etymology: dis -- not; encourage -- to support
Meanager
Created by: pungineer
Pronunciation: Meanie + ger
Sentence: Tarquin pondered whilst refrying the fries, he was on a fascinating 'Work your way round the Deep South' US gap year, the Himalayas had been fully booked, unfortunately... yes absolutely he though to himself, yes the OED have really missed a trick there, because, right, Bubba, is quite mean, I mean you could call him a meanie even, and he's my manager, well it says so on his badge so, right, well, actually he should be called a Meanager, because that's absolutely so what he is! Maybe i will study classics at Oxford next year, I've certainly got the language skills he ruminated further as he scrapped the grits off the gumbo....
Etymology: Just like Tarquin said in the story Mean or Meanie + Manager = Meanager
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COMMENTS:
When there was no crawdads, we ate dirt. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-06: 16:33:00
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Leaderhosin
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: lēdərhōzən
Sentence: Whenever folks get too uppity the boss administers a good leaderhosin.
Etymology: leader (the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country) + hose (metaphorical term for screwing someone) a play on Lederhosen
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COMMENTS:
My morning chuckle. Thanks, artr. - mrskellyscl, 2010-01-06: 07:57:00
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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
Mortfortify
Created by: porsche
Pronunciation: mort/fort/i/fye
Sentence: The sales manager managed to mortfortify his team on a daily basis. He told them they were all stars, outperforming last years numbers to such a degree that he would hire more staff and thus reduce their bonuses
Etymology: mortify + fortify
Mockliment
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /ˈmɑkləˌmɛnt/
Sentence: It wasn't the fact that he mocklimented everyone that was so annoying; it was the fact that he seemed to think everyone was too stupid to notice.
Etymology: From compliment + mock
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COMMENTS:
good one ErWenn - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 12:04:00
son does that to me all the time. At least now I've got a word for it! Thanx! - administraitor, 2007-06-12: 15:08:00
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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)
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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
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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