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.
Slurport
Created by: bigdog
Pronunciation:
Sentence: My team lead always makes me look like an idiot during meeting when he sandbags me with a public show of slurport for my work.
Etymology: slur - impugn one's character or ability + support - to encourage
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COMMENTS:
Good one. - petaj, 2007-06-12: 07:51:00
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Cowhoperate
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: co - WHOP - ehr - ayt
Sentence: Hillary delighted in using her status as supervisor to cowhoperate with her subordinates, employing seemingly sweet outpourings of sympathy for their problems while delivering sarcastic and crude insults.
Etymology: Blend of cooperate and whop...( A sudden sharp, powerful stroke)..verbal in this case
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COMMENTS:
Ouch! Cuts me to the quick. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:19:00
I read that as Cow + Operate which i think is a perfect word for such office bovines - pungineer, 2008-08-05: 10:56:00
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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
Dumotivation
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: duhm-oh-tuh-vey-shuhn
Sentence: Lucy thought she could use dumotivation to get her staff going. If she acted like they were stupid, they would strive to prove her wrong. A good number of her employees showed just how smart they were by finding new jobs where they were treated with respect.
Etymology: dumb (lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted) + motivation (inspiration, inducement)
Preyse
Created by: Roubicek
Pronunciation:
Sentence: I receive nothing but preyse from my boss.
Etymology:
Scofficer
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: SCOFF-i-sir
Sentence: MEMO To: All Staff From: Scofficer Martin %%%%%%%% It is with great pleasure that I can tell you all about Mary Jane's excellent performance. Due to her repulsive smell brought on by inadequate personal hygiene, she has single handedly reduced the number of complaints submitted at the customer service desk to zero. Congratulations Mary Jane.
Etymology: scoff + officer + sir
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COMMENTS:
HA! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-12: 07:51:00
This one's excellent, too. So many good words today. - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 08:31:00
that mary jane must have nulfactory senses! - jadenguy, 2007-06-12: 10:02:00
Great sentence! - mplsbohemian, 2007-06-12: 14:00:00
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Philantriolic
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: f'-lan-TREE-uhl-ik
Sentence: Although seemed always seeming warm and friendly, it was not her mellow mien, but her canditoxic philantriolic tongue that told the true tale of her feelings.
Etymology: Blend of PHILANTHROPY: Love of humankind in general. Something, such as an activity, intended to promote human welfare; thoughtfulness; benvolent. & VITRIOLIC: Biting, bitter or caustic; having or expressing strong and unpleasantly negative feelings; -- of speech or feelings.
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COMMENTS:
Yikes! Bad Candy kills. - metrohumanx, 2008-08-05: 07:14:00
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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
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
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