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)
Insultivate
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: in sul tiv ayt
Sentence: When Joan Collins played Alexis Carrington on "Dynasty", she regularly would insultivate the other actors. They were sure that the vixenish Joan was using reverse psychology on them to improve their performances and make their reactions to her onscreen more lifelike. They never did realize that Joan relished abusing them, thanks mainly to another Collins always in her dressing room...frequent stiffeners of Tom Collins.
Etymology: Insult (to treat, mention, or speak to rudely) & Motivate (to give an incentive for action)
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
Lambastard
Created by: galwaywegian
Pronunciation: lamm bass tarrred
Sentence: He had the smile of an angel as he chaired the weekly meetings, but as the new recruit Ida Lovett was to discover, beneath the smarmy exterior, he was a complete and utter lambastard!
Etymology: lambast, to loudly criticise, bastard
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COMMENTS:
He was much worse after a few glasses of Italian red wine. Then he was lambrusqueo - petaj, 2007-06-12: 07:52:00
Also a wolf in sheep's clothing? - petaj, 2007-06-12: 08:02:00
Damn, I didn't see yours before I posted mine. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Good word there, too. - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 08:27:00
And the ignoramus who put BBQ sauce on the mutton chops. - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-12: 08:31:00
Hahaha! "Lamb baster." Incidentally, the Basters of Namibia get their name from the Dutch word for "bastard." - Clayton, 2007-06-12: 09:05:00
Maybe he had the smile of an angel because he was really 'Tiny Tim' in disguise and he was a lamebastard as well as a lambastard - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-12: 10:44:00
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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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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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Complesult
Created by: Rosshowey
Pronunciation: complesult
Sentence: She totally dissed me, but later she tried to play it all like a complesult!
Etymology:
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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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