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.
Pepsquawk
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: pepskwôk
Sentence: Week after week the manager would deliver a pepsqualk to her staff. Her crew’s response has been to adopt a hedgehog as a mascot. They told her that a hedgehog is an industrious critter that will ”dig in” and defend its home. The fact is that the picture they posted for motivation is actually a shrew.
Etymology: pep talk (a talk intended to make someone feel more courageous or enthusiastic) + squawk (make a loud, harsh noise)
Demeanie
Created by: mweinmann
Pronunciation: dee - meen - ee
Sentence: Amy was known as a demeanie around the office because she seemed to always find a way to make those around her feel bad about themselves. Her insults were always couched inside of a bit of sweet talk so she got away with it quite a bit.....
Etymology: demean (degrade or make one aware of their shortcomings), meanie (a person of mean disposition)
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COMMENTS:
fun word - I'll have to share it with the kids - mrskellyscl, 2010-01-06: 14:17:00
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Winsult
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: win sult
Sentence: When Alxis wanted to motivate her top sales people, she used reverse psychology on them. She'd treat them so badly and abased them, that they would prove her wrong by outdoing themselves. Their success was their best revenge on her. Her winsult approach opened up a whole new career for her on the self-help book and lecture circuit.
Etymology: Win (be successful, attain a goal) & Insult (treat, mention, or speak to rudely)
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
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
Facadeist
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: fass add ist
Sentence: When Joan Collins played Alexis I-don't-Care-ington Coldby on "Dynasty" everyone thought she was a great actress, as well as an 80's clothes-horse supreme. She could work a room of naive men and fool millions of viewers. That is until those cat-fight scenes with her arch-rival, he ex Blake's new wife,Krystle (Linda Evans)...then they realized that those kissy, kissy, let's do lunch real soon, have your people call my people overtures were the mark of a real facadeist. Yes, they should have named the series after her, Die-Nasty!
Etymology: facade (a showy misrepresentation intended to conceal something unpleasant or being two-faced, not showing what you really feel) & sadist (someone who obtains pleasure from inflicting pain on others)
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COMMENTS:
Latent loathing lingers. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:17:00
Spot On ! - Wordotwist, 2008-08-05: 09:34:00
Great word AND soap opera sniglet! - lumina, 2008-08-05: 12:26:00
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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
Complesult
Created by: Rosshowey
Pronunciation: complesult
Sentence: She totally dissed me, but later she tried to play it all like a complesult!
Etymology:
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