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.

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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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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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)

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Hellnotivate

Created by: Katisms1

Pronunciation: hell-NO!-tive-ate

Sentence: Maintaining his hard-won reputation as a total S.O.B., the department manager would sneeringly "hellnotivate" his sales team into action with an endless stream of backhanded compliments.

Etymology: "(Oh) hell, no!" [Indignant reaction to the realization that the compliment one thought one just received was actually an insult.] + motivate

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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:

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

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Preyse

Created by: Roubicek

Pronunciation:

Sentence: I receive nothing but preyse from my boss.

Etymology:

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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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Deniagrate

Created by: administraitor

Pronunciation: deny-a-grate

Sentence: Her manager's constant efforts to deniagrate her performance finally led Carol to implement her exit strategy.

Etymology: denial + denigrate

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COMMENTS:

your name, administraitor, would have worked well with this definition - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 16:29:00

What a difference a vowel makes! - administraitor, 2007-06-12: 16:32:00

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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.

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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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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