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.
Sublimhate
Created by: mplsbohemian
Pronunciation: SUHB-lihm-hayt
Sentence: Alex, unaware of the powers of sublimhation, couldn't understand why he always felt worse after his boss's "pep talks".
Etymology: subordinate + subliminal + sublimate + hate
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COMMENTS:
oooo, an irony fisted word! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-12: 13:19:00
Excellent word. - ErWenn, 2007-06-13: 00:34:00
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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
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
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COMMENTS:
It takes slurrage to stand up to your subordinates. - artr, 2010-01-06: 09:20:00
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Offenspire
Created by: Wordotwist
Pronunciation: Ouf en spire
Sentence: The offenspirational capabilities of our supervisor keeps the entire workforce at the stitching factory on tether hooks.Only yesterday she humiliaded Nancy with the most flattering comments about her eyes ; followed immediately by the advise on how she could deliver more acceptable results if she kept them on her stitch – rather on the nearby ‘slicks’ for most of the time !
Etymology: A combination of offend - as to offend through an insulting,demeaning etc remark; and inspire - through encouragement,praise etc.
Complesult
Created by: Rosshowey
Pronunciation: complesult
Sentence: She totally dissed me, but later she tried to play it all like a complesult!
Etymology:
Preyse
Created by: Roubicek
Pronunciation:
Sentence: I receive nothing but preyse from my boss.
Etymology:
Goaddigger
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: gode/diggur
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)
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COMMENTS:
very goad - galwaywegian, 2007-06-12: 06:22:00
incellent in fact! - petaj, 2007-06-12: 08:06:00
Someone needs to inform Jim Goad. Very apropos. - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 08:52:00
hey Clayton - I didn't even know who Jim Goad was so I googled and guess what - today's his birthday! doo doo doo doo - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 09:42:00
That's some really serious weirdness right there. - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 09:48:00
also creepy, appearantly he was a total jerkface. what a coincidence! - jadenguy, 2007-06-12: 10:09:00
An auth-hole? - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-12: 10:22:00
Depends on who you ask. That's the reason I said it was apropos, though... because Goad's writing is plenty insulting and misanthropic at times. But then again, so was Mark Twain's, Celine's, and Vonnegut's at times. If you ask me, Goad's material is terribly funny. - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 10:28:00
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Fabrimprecate
Created by: ziggy41
Pronunciation: Fab-remp-ah-kayte
Sentence: Our boss elucidated to us that from her country what we thought crude was, infact, a normal "hello" gesture. Once we found out she was born in America we knew she was fabrimprecating the whole time, and was just giving us the finger.
Etymology: Fabricate (to fake or lie) + imprecate (to utter a curse)
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
Criticer
Created by: Matt99
Pronunciation: Cr-it-ic-er
Sentence: The boss sure is an accomplished criticer. Also- The string of criticerally charged words left him feeling abused.
Etymology: Critic + er
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