Vote for the best verboticism.

'I wish this tree was dead.'

DEFINITION: v. To ignore anything positive and focus your energy on problems, disasters, and whatever bad news you find. n. A person who searches for, and feeds on, other people's weaknesses, failures and mistakes.

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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.

Flawyer

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: flôyər

Sentence: Tony entered the field of law with high hopes of making the world a better place. What he soon discovered was that he was really in a world of flaw enforcement. When somebody messes up he makes money. Once he got all of that Don Quixote nonsense out of system he became a real flawyer.

Etymology: flaw (imperfection) + lawyer (a person who practices or studies law)

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Sinnic

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: sin nik

Sentence: Woody was a sinnic in the worst sense of the word. If your actions did not benefit him directly, he thought you had no business being on the planet!

Etymology: Sin (commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake) & Cynic (someone who is critical of the motives of others)

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Lugubriate

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: loo-GOO-bree-ayt

Sentence: Even on the sunniest days and rosiest occasions Bertha could be counted upon to lugubriate, searching through all the days events and news for the downbeat and negative offerings.

Etymology: 'Lugubrious' (mournful, dismal, or gloomy, esp. in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner) with suffix '-ate' (As the ending of a verb, it means to make, to cause, to act, etc.; as, to propitiate (to make propitious); to animate (to give life to)

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COMMENTS:

Saying lugubriate has harsh sounds just like these hard people! Easy to remember, spot on the definition ... another Exceptional Great Create! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-21: 09:47:00

like the GOO-d word play in your pronunciation, too! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-22: 22:16:00

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Misfortunehunter

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: mis fort tyoon hun ter

Sentence: Lucky Lucy was not only a fortune hunter, she was also a misfortunehunter. Her specialty was finding old guys who wanted sweet young things. She always made sure they were rich, sickly, put her in the will and were without relatives. Once she got her hooks into them, it was only a matter of time before they keeled and she collected. Her black widow career paid well until the last old guy outlived her...

Etymology: Misfortune (unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event;an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes) & Fortune Hunter (a person who seeks wealth through marriage)

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Negaferret

fabdiva

Created by: fabdiva

Pronunciation: neg-ah-fair-et

Sentence: It did not go unnoticed that Cindy spent an inordinate amount of time at the emergency desk. Only a negaferret would volunteer on their rostered day off.

Etymology: negative - not optimistic. Harmful. ferret - to look around in search of something

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Depressimist

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: de pres sim ist

Sentence: Woody was a pileated woodpecker and a depressimist. Nothing could please him. He even hated his species' name...it made him sound like he always had piles. He wood birch about his troubles all day, but the other birds soon learned to twitter him for his negative talk. One brave, elder Robin finally had enough and told him, "Woody, spruce yourself up and quit pining, yew son of a beech. We know that your bark is worse than your bite. All this depressimism will alder you permanently fir sure, unless you learn to spruce up your outlook. Be happy yew are free and can fly. If yew don't like it here, yew can pack your trunk and fly away. Yew wood be less bore-ing and a lot more poplar, if yew quit making such an ash of yourself...oakay?!"

Etymology: Depress (lower someone's spirits; make downhearted;lessen the activity or force of) & Pessimist (a person who expects the worst)

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COMMENTS:

karenanne Perfect word - it should have an entry in Webster's! - karenanne, 2010-11-03: 22:34:00

karenanne I voted for yours, but it turned out I hadn't been logged in. Well, you have the points, at least! - karenanne, 2010-11-04: 18:00:00

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Maggoteer

Created by: readerwriter

Pronunciation: meh-gah-teer

Sentence: If only Dart could find two more people to join him in his cause of whining, grumbling and complaining about every rotten thing then they could call themselves The Three Maggoteers.

Etymology: Using MAGGOT, a larvae that feeds on diseased or dead cells + a play on "The Three Muskateers," a French novel about a young hero named d'Artangan by Alexandre Dumas, pere

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COMMENTS:

I would hate to run into three Maggoteers types at one time! I really enjoy everyone's words and what they come up with in sentences! Very creative :) - abrakadeborah, 2009-04-22: 06:41:00

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Schadendfraudster

Created by: galwaywegian

Pronunciation: schad en frawd stur

Sentence: She was a total schadenfraudster. the onlt time she use the word "good", was to precede "grief"

Etymology: schadenfreude, fraudster

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Bleakbeaker

Created by: abrakadeborah

Pronunciation: bleak-beak-er

Sentence: Cardinella was such a sad old fella he would bleak around to bring everybody down. To him there was never a sunny or happy day...he managed to find always a spot of gray...as he would "bleakbeaker" to make everyone weaker! Draining out any happiness... trying to make others feel like a mell of a hess.

Etymology: Bleak:Providing no encouragement; depressing,gloomy and somber. Beak:Slang a person's nose or the projecting structure forming the mandibles of a bird, especially one that is strong, sharp, and useful in striking and tearing. Bleaker:Slang for a negative person that noses into peoples lives with a striking negativity to tear down their happy moods.

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COMMENTS:

luv your spoonerism! - silveryaspen, 2009-04-22: 22:26:00

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Woewallow

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: wōwälō

Sentence: Willy watches the news with great interest. He loves to woewallow. If there is bad news he wants to share it. Disasters, tragedies, agony? A new study that finds your favorite food as a possible cancer cause. He's there! He firmly believes that every silver lining is wrapped in a big beautiful grey cloud.

Etymology: woe (great sorrow or distress) + wallow ( indulge in an unrestrained way)

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COMMENTS:

You met my dad? - wayoffcenter, 2009-04-21: 07:35:00

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-04-21: 00:01:01
Today's definition was inspired by one of my favorite university professors who would respond to complainers with what he said was an old Japanese proverb -- "In among the cherry blossoms, the woodpecker hunts for a dead tree." ~ James

silveryaspen - 2009-04-21: 01:43:00
Like today's definition and cartoon, that Japanese proverb, provides plenty of food for thought .... naughty knotty thoughts ... until I want to thought naught about it any more!

silveryaspen - 2009-04-21: 09:56:00
This thought provoking definition and cartoon certainly inspired every one today! Kudos to the professor and James and all the verbotomists who played today. All are terrific sentences and verbotomies, today.

readerwriter - 2009-04-21: 10:33:00
Do I live in the wrong hemisphere or does my day begin too late???? Either that, or you all are up past midnight EST! Fun word today to play with. How you do it, James, I will never know...you are an artiste!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-04-21: 13:27:00
Thank you silvery and readerwriter. Fortunately, there not a lot of woodpeckers among us, but apparently there are a lot of night owls. ~ James

abrakadeborah - 2009-04-22: 06:03:00
This word and cartoon today was very descriptive! I LOVE the old Japanese proverb you added "In among the cherry blossoms, the woodpecker hunts for a dead tree." :) I have known a FEW toxic people like this in my life~