Verboticisms

Created by: vonnegut

Pronunciation: fo-ma

Sentence: Nothing in this book is true. "Live by the foma* that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy." The Books of Bokonon. I: 5

Etymology: Created by Kurt Vonnegut for Cat's Cradle, published in 1963.

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COMMENTS:

foma - accept no substitutes. - Alchemist, 2007-04-16: 06:51:00

we can't go through the whole week respelling Vonneguts words....or can we? - rikboyee, 2007-04-16: 09:24:00

It's the best way to win the prize.... :-) - jedijawa, 2007-04-16: 12:54:00

What's the singular? And should I have heard of Vonnegut? Has he been on TV? Recently? Bliss. - Bulletchewer, 2007-04-16: 15:11:00

The singular form is "fomum", like phenomena (plural) and phenomenum (signular). Comes from Latin. Did you study Latin in highschool? I did, and I'm still trying to get over it. - wordmeister, 2007-04-16: 15:22:00

It's all Greek to me! - Bulletchewer, 2007-04-16: 16:14:00

you can even go into the news/blog section and it will tell you which word this definition comes from.... i honestly feel that using Vonneguts word taints the wampeter of our humble karass - rikboyee, 2007-04-16: 17:44:00

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Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: com fib er rate

Sentence: Jessie was able to comfiberate her young son with the lore of Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy to help him understand and look forward to special holidays and events. Finding a comfiberation for Halloween was a lot harder to do, especially when Uncle Les insisted on dressing up as a female, Aunt Dorothy, each October 31st as well as on many other occasions during the year...

Etymology: comfort ( give moral or emotional strength to or a feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment) & fib (tell a relatively insignificant lie)& liberate(to free from confinement or ideas)

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COMMENTS:

Great word AND hilarious usage! - lumina, 2008-06-23: 22:54:00

Good word and sentence. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-06-24: 08:08:00

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Created by: Sed8ed

Pronunciation: pa-tree-cod-el

Sentence: Joe found it easier to patricoddle the man who accosted him daily from the alley asking for two bits, rather than being rude and scaring him away.

Etymology: patri from patronize + coddle (to pamper, or whatever you like) = patricoddle

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Created by: Bulletchewer

Pronunciation: geez-uss-pore-key

Sentence: "I tell you the truth; it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven," said the false prophet, knowing full well it was a Jesusporky, a PR statement aimed at the poor folk of 1st-century Judea.

Etymology: From "Jesus" meaning "person/deity invented to comfort simple souls" and "porky" from the Cocky (sic) rhyming slang (pork pie=lie).

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Created by: purpleartichokes

Pronunciation: chi-ken-poop

Sentence: I thought his concern was sincere when I told him of my hamster Kitty's passing. I later realized it was just chickenpoup for my soul when he suggested I flush her down the toilet.

Etymology: chicken soup for the soul; poop (as in a line of crap)

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COMMENTS:

Never understood the notion of chicken soup being comforting, cos frankly the stuff I've had has always been vile. That opined, the connotation of cowardice is good. - Bulletchewer, 2007-04-16: 14:59:00

Well, after you pick out all the mushy vegetables, add more noodles, a dash of lemon and pepper, it's palatable. I guess chicken soup sounded better than Whopper with Cheese. - purpleartichokes, 2007-04-16: 15:26:00

That sounds suspiciously like actually cooking something to me. Gimme the can of cream of tomato instead. - Bulletchewer, 2007-04-16: 16:11:00

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Created by: SmoothP

Pronunciation: fib-uh-shoo-rants

Sentence: It was clear to the adults that Mr. Puddles hadn't gone to any "happy doggy farm", but the fibassurance seemed to satisfy little Tommy.

Etymology: From the latin "fibassi" meaning comfort, and "uranceum" meaning "to lie".

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Created by: mweinmann

Pronunciation: simp - le - fik - shun - all - iz

Sentence: Since Sally couldn't quite explain the circumstances of her whereabouts, she decided to simplictionalize her story. She felt that it took out the complexity of the situation and put it into a scenario that was better understandable by her family.

Etymology: simplify, fictionalize

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Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: pla/see/bull

Sentence: 'Hard work always pays off' - a placeebull to keep workers motivated

Etymology: placebo + bull (as in bullshit) (had to put the second e in my word to emphasize sound)

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COMMENTS:

okayee - galwaywegian, 2007-04-16: 06:30:00

Ain't it the truth!?! - Sed8ed, 2007-04-16: 06:33:00

That example sounds like an alfalsism. Or a generaLIEzation. - petaj, 2007-04-16: 06:37:00

That's a great play on words! - jedijawa, 2007-04-16: 12:56:00

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Created by: mac33

Pronunciation: flub-bish

Sentence: "Fluffy's in Cat Heaven now," she said to little Susie, feeling guilty for feeding her child such blatant flubbish.

Etymology: flub - an instance of botching or bungling; failure (here failure to tell the painful truth) rubbish - nonsense (UK)

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Created by: artr

Pronunciation: fibrəkāshən

Sentence: Where did I come from? What happened to fluffy? Does this dress look good on me? What do you think of my artwork? Do you love me? Questions like these can spark fibrication.

Etymology: fib (a lie, typically an unimportant one) + fabrication (invent or concoct (something), typically with deceitful intent)

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