Vote for the best verboticism.

'When I said that you're a loser, I meant it as a compliment.'

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.

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.

Obsucinsult

Created by: texmom

Pronunciation: Ob shew ur in sult

Sentence: After that obscurinsult she didn't know whether to thank her boss or cry

Etymology: obscure + insult Yes, I misspelled it and can't go back

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

I meant it to be obscurinsult... but maybe... I should just leave it like it is. - texmom, 2007-06-12: 07:23:00

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

| Comments and Points

Galvannihilate

CharlieB

Created by: CharlieB

Pronunciation: gal-van-eye-a-late

Sentence: The staff were conflicted by their boss. "You fat &*!£s need to show me what ya got!" she would yell. After a team hug and a pep talk they'd rush back to their desks feeling excited. But there was also a lingering sense of humiliation. They'd been well and truly galvannihilated.

Etymology: galvanise (to stimulate or excite) + annihilate (to destroy)

| Comments and Points

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

| Comments and Points

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

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

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

| Comments and Points

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

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

metrohumanx When there was no crawdads, we ate dirt. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-06: 16:33:00

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

| Comments and Points

Scofficer

petaj

Created by: petaj

Pronunciation: SCOFF-i-sir

Sentence: MEMO To: All Staff From: Scofficer Martin %%%%%%%% It is with great pleasure that I can tell you all about Mary Jane's excellent performance. Due to her repulsive smell brought on by inadequate personal hygiene, she has single handedly reduced the number of complaints submitted at the customer service desk to zero. Congratulations Mary Jane.

Etymology: scoff + officer + sir

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

HA! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-12: 07:51:00

This one's excellent, too. So many good words today. - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 08:31:00

that mary jane must have nulfactory senses! - jadenguy, 2007-06-12: 10:02:00

Great sentence! - mplsbohemian, 2007-06-12: 14:00:00

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

| Comments and Points

Dumotivation

artr

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)

| Comments and Points

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:

petaj Good one. - petaj, 2007-06-12: 07:51:00

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

| Comments and Points

Ugotlovelyyacht

Created by: XLilDevilGirlX

Pronunciation: U got lovely Yacht

Sentence: wow UGotLovelyYacht!

Etymology: this 1 is reli sneeky. Look @ the capital letters and u get the insult but u also have the compilment by the words that come wiv the Capital letters

| Comments and Points

Leadersnip

Created by: mweinmann

Pronunciation: lee - dur - snip

Sentence: Patricia knew how to practice leadersnip. This skill was honed over a period of time as a manager in the Marketing Department at Pepper Hill Cosmetics. All good ideas were her own and if someone else started to believe in their writing skills a bit too avidly, Patrice knew how to snip their copy - - and them down to size; thus yielding a better slogan authored by "herself"

Etymology: leader - a person who demonstrates the ability to motivate and manage people. snip - cut, reduce or chide

| Comments and Points

Show All or More...

 

Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-06-12: 01:52:00
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...)

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-01-06: 00:05:00
Today's definition was suggested by ohwtepph. Thank you ohwtepph. ~ James