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.
Nailnice
Created by: remistram
Pronunciation: nayle-nyce
Sentence: Many nailnicers learn from the greats such as Joan Collins from Dynasty fame.
Etymology: nail (as in to be nailed or hit) + nice
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
Procurstinator
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: pro_CURS-tin-ayt=er
Sentence: Elaine was a hard core procurstinator, using insults that she dressed up as compliments in order to motivate her staff.
Etymology: Blend of prefix 'pro' (for, or positive) and 'curse' (v. to swear or condemn). Play on the word procrastinator
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
Unspiratarian
Created by: jadenguy
Pronunciation: un spire a terian
Sentence: On the high seas, it was often that Horatio asked himself what his greater destiny was, his raison d’etre. The captain always told him that he wasn't as dumb as he looked, that the only good decision he'd ever made was to find himself a place onboard because the real world would eat him alive, that keeping storage room clean was one thing even he couldn't screw up, that at least he had more facial hair than his wife, but not much. This unspiritarian had all but destroyed the ferocity of crew, but Horatio continued to believe that this was where he needed to be, that great things were going to happen. Few and far between have there been greater moments of forsight.
Etymology: un + inspire + totalitarian
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COMMENTS:
wow, that was a long'un. - jadenguy, 2007-06-12: 09:57:00
perhaps he should have become a unspirational unmotivational speaker - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 12:01:00
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Demeanager
Created by: rikboyee
Pronunciation: duh-meen-aj-err
Sentence: he liked his job but he couldn't stand his new demeanager
Etymology: demean, manager
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COMMENTS:
Was the demeanager a good derision-maker. - petaj, 2007-06-12: 08:00:00
Slurly you can't be supercilious. The demeanager was emcloyee of the smear. Don't friendsult his inelegance. - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 09:31:00
great word rikboyee - I'll definitely use this one - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 10:57:00
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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
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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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
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