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'All I had was a wooden brain...'

DEFINITION: n. A person who, using an example from their own life, steers people away from a line of speculation by reducing it to an absurdity. v. To dismantle a logical argument with piles of passionate incoherence.

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Verboticisms

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Pastifist

Created by: javex

Pronunciation: pah-stih-fist

Sentence: By using her upbringing in a small Mexican village as an excuse for why we couldn't buy our kids a Wii, my wife outed herself as a total pastifist.

Etymology:

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COMMENTS:

cute - Nosila, 2009-11-05: 00:23:00

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Rationalbatross

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: ra shun al bit ross

Sentence: When Penelope asked her father, Gordie, for a computer (or anything that cost money), he had his usual rationalbatross excuse ready. On this occasion it was about the fact that when he was young, computers were a science fiction story, not reality. So he had to develop his super brainpower to get through all eight of his years of school. Of course, he then went into his old "I walked through five feet of snow for eight miles without boots or a winter coat, carrying a raw potato for my lunch at school, after I had milked the cows, fed the pigs and chickens and brought in a bucket of snow to melt for water" schtick.

Etymology: Rational (logical) & Albatross (figurative) something that hinders or handicaps)

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Anecdontalist

Created by: rikboyee

Pronunciation: an-eck-dohn-tul-ist

Sentence: for every hair brained sceme i came up with, grandpa had a story that would convince me to forget about it...he was a master anecdontalist

Etymology: anecdote, don't

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COMMENTS:

Clever anecdote! I hope you had a doting grandma, to counter-balance your donting grandpa. - wordmeister, 2007-04-18: 02:54:00

could be a long anecdonta list - galwaywegian, 2007-04-18: 05:10:00

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Logihooey

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: läjihoōē

Sentence: Whenever Cindy approaches her father with a proposal to buy something he bombards her with logihooey, passionate drivel about how he had to work for everything he has ever owned. To hear him, you would think that, as a baby, he had to work to buy his own diapers.

Etymology: logic (reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity) + hooey (nonsense)

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Wrang-wrang

Created by: vonnegut

Pronunciation: rang-rang

Sentence: There was a sign around my dead cat's neck. It said, "Meow." I have not seen Krebbs since. Nonetheless, I sense that he was my karass. If he was, he served it as a wrang-wrang.

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

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Negatiate

Created by: suzanne

Pronunciation: negg-ate-ee-ate

Sentence: Mary wanted to study German but her father negatieted by saying how he had lived his whole life speaking only English and he had never been arrested.

Etymology: neg- from nagative atiate - derivative from negotiate.

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COMMENTS:

probably should be negatiator, but the sentence alone is worth a vote - galwaywegian, 2007-04-18: 05:22:00

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Illustrationgist

Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: ill/us/tray/shun/jist

Sentence: Her dad was the ultimate illustrationgist - he reduced every conversation to taking a walk down memory lane

Etymology: illustration (example) + gist (meaning)

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COMMENTS:

playdohheart Ooh, this is an interesting spin on the definition. - playdohheart, 2007-04-18: 07:37:00

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Manicdotal

Created by: rikboyee

Pronunciation: man-ik-doe-tul

Sentence: In order to get the upperhand in this argument he was going to need to provide some pretty persuasive manicdotal evidence

Etymology: manic, anecdote

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Duhbate

libertybelle

Created by: libertybelle

Pronunciation: duuh - bate

Sentence: When I told my brother that I was going to take a little time to travel across the Midwest, he launched into a duhbate about how unsafe it was and roving bands of renegade rodeo stars that wander the streets. He told me he had spent some time there during his own rodeo days and he had first hand experience; i know better- that he's never left the New York Metro area.

Etymology: duh + debate

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COMMENTS:

libertybelle i wish i could say that this wasn't based on a true story... - libertybelle, 2011-03-24: 10:14:00

Love it...sounds like your brother is a rodeo clown! - Nosila, 2011-03-25: 00:45:00

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Theartfuldredger

Created by: bookowl

Pronunciation: the/artful/dred/jur

Sentence: Theartfuldredger is the most unpopular guest at a party.

Etymology: the artful dodger + dredge (as in up from the past)

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-04-18: 02:13:00
Today's definition was suggested by Kurt Vonnegut and first appeared in his novel Cat's Cradle.
Thank you Mr. Vonnegut! ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-06-25: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by Kurt Vonnegut and first appeared in his novel Cat's Cradle.
Thank you Mr. Vonnegut! ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-11-04: 00:33:00
Today's definition was suggested by vonnegut. Thank you vonnegut. ~ James