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.

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Verboticisms

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You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.

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

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Leaderhosin

artr

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:

mrskellyscl My morning chuckle. Thanks, artr. - mrskellyscl, 2010-01-06: 07:57:00

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Ensluragement

mrskellyscl

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:

artr It takes slurrage to stand up to your subordinates. - artr, 2010-01-06: 09:20:00

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Compliminsult

Created by: couv78

Pronunciation: Com-pli-min-sult

Sentence: She just told me that the report looks good but she reckons she could have had a monkey do it and get the same result - I think she just compliminsulted me?

Etymology: From Compliment and Insult

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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

metrohumanx Succinct and bound to become trendy. Bravo! - metrohumanx, 2008-08-06: 16:28:00

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Criticer

Matt99

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

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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

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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

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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

petaj 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

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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

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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)

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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