Category: verbotomist

I quit! I’m free!

DEFINITION: A feeling of euphoria which occurs when you finally quit your boring, mind-numbingly dull, and emotionally unrewarding job.

I quit! I'm free!

VERBOTICISMS: (Invented words created by the Verbotomy Writers)

Funemployment: /fun-ehm-PLOY-ment/ Guess what! I quit Pizza Hut! Let the funemployment begin! Etymology: fun + unemployment Created by: Alchemist.

Resiglation: /res-ig-lay-shun/ John felt resiglation at finally quiting his job so that he could persue that career as a deadbeat like he’d always wanted. Etymology: resignation + elation Created by: jedijawa.

Deliverdance: /dee-liver-dans/ His feeling of deliverdance at quitting his job was so overpowering that he felt like Michael Flatley Etymology: deliverance + riverdance Created by: Jabberwocky.

Jobilation: /jaw-bi-lay-shun/ Jim experienced jobilation the day he joined the unemployed Etymology: jubilation + job Created by: porsche.

To see more verboticisms for this definition go to:
https://www.verbotomy.com/verboticisms.php?jid=free

Be Creative,

James

www.verbotomy.com
the create-a-word game

The Verbotomy Splinterview: JediJawa’s Right-Brain

Verbotomy Game Inventor, James Gang, chats with jedijawa, winner of Dan Pink’s Right-Brain.

James Gang: Congratulations on your win jedijawa! Here are the final stats: https://www.verbotomy.com/verbotomists.php?week=2007-04-11.

Weeklink has called you “creative genius and fierce competitor”, so I am sure that all the other Verbotomists have one question they would like to ask: How do you come up with your words?

jedijawa: Sometimes the words pop into my head, but I usually try to think of synonyms for the concepts that go into the definition. Then I try to play off of those, if they have a good sound to them, or can be mashed together with another word. If I’m having a hard time, I’ll see what direction that the other players are taking so that I don’t end up repeating what someone else has already done.

James Gang: Did you find Verbotomy harder when you first started playing? Did your creative approach change or evolve as you played?

jedijawa: When I first started, I did find it hard to think in terms of creating new words to the definitions, as I tended to over-think it. Now I try to let something come naturally and may look up a few synonyms to jog my memory or to get the creative process started.

James Gang: And now, as award-winning Verbotomist, is your creative approach different than when you started?

jedijawa: I don’t know how the others do it, but there are some long time members of this site who have been consistently amazing! And I don’t know how they do it every day like that, or how I managed to win the contest that week. All I can say is that I’m glad I came up with “blahg” or I wouldn’t have made it.

James Gang: Have your heard of Dan Pink before? What do you think of his idea that Right-Brainers (i.e. creative people ) will rule the future?

jedijawa: I have not heard of Dan Pink but I am pessimistic about the future of right brained-thinkers.

James Gang: Do you consider yourself a “Right-Brainer”?

jedijawa: I fancy myself a Right-Brainer but I’m afraid that creativity is dying out in society with the proliferation of so much pacifying technology that eats up people’s time. Nobody goes to see theater, the symphony, or live performance art anymore because they can get all of that on their ipod, from Netflix, or from turning on satellite radio or tv. I’m afraid the same is true for reading, playing music, or creative writing (except for maybe some of those bloggers out there).

James Gang: Are you “creative” at work?

jedijawa: I am an attorney so I get some chances to be creative in my law practice and my job focuses on words and language so I consider myself to be a logophile. In the end I think that blogging is currently my most creative outlet.

James Gang: An Attorney? Wow! Do you have any opinion on the way the game of Verbotomy is structured? Would you change any of the rules, or the way it is played?

jedijawa: No, I’m pretty happy with the way that you have it laid out. I like the way that you’re doing some contests now so that you have more motivation to push for the big win in a week. I wouldn’t say you have to do that all the time, but the occasional contest is nice.

James Gang: We will see what we can do about the contests. As you know we are doing the Verbotomy Cup this week, and next week we are doing a themed week around the novels and stories of Cory Doctorow. It should be fun, especially for you, as an Attorney, because Cory has some very strong opinions about copyright/copyleft and intellectual property, so we should come up with some great Verbotomy challenges… And speaking of definitions, do you have any rattling around inside your head? Would you like to share them with us?

jedijawa: I would like it a lot … I just have forgotten the couple that I thought of earlier this week. How about:

“The act of circling a parking lot looking for the closest possible space to your destination.”

Or:

“The tendency for people to believe they are above average in some activity when it is a statistical impossibility (because we can’t all be above average).”


James Gang: Those are great. We will add them to our list and I will email you when we post them. So once again, congratulations on your win! By the way, Dan Pink is in Japan for 3 months, so it could be a few more weeks before he sends you an autographed copy of his book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.

jedijawa: The prize was a neat incentive for this week and I see that you’re doing it again. So, thanks again. I’m still surprised that I beat that Stevenson fellow. I was a bit more inspired this week and maybe that was why … or I just got lucky! 🙂

It’s all strategic positioning.

DEFINITION: To create an illusion of busyness so that your co-workers, and most importantly your boss, never realize that you have absolutely nothing to do.

It's all strategic positioning.

VERBOTICISMS: (Invented words created by the Verbotomy Writers)

Taskmasker: /task-mass-kur/ Phil was a professional taskmasker; I don’t know how he was able to look busy all the time when everyone knew he had absolutely nothing to do. Etymology: taskmaster, mask Created by: purpleartichokes.

Workastallic: /wurk-a-stahl-ik/ Jim was such a workastallic that, while giving the impression that he never let go of a project, he was in fact seriously stalling (and checking out verbotomy on the side) Etymology: workaholic + stall Created by: Jabberwocky.

Exertsham: /exert-sham/ The illusion of working is an age old problem and is also known as walking the dog, a government job, or exertsham. Etymology: exertion + sham Created by: Stevenson0.

Slackofflage: /-ˈslækəˌflɔʒ-/ The key to successful slackofflage is an untidy workspace; if your boss can identify each paper on your desk and window on your computer screen, then you’ve already lost. Etymology: From “slack off” + “camouflage” Created by: ErWenn.

To see more verboticisms for this definition go to:
https://www.verbotomy.com/verboticisms.php?jid=filing

Be Creative,

James

www.verbotomy.com
the create-a-word game

The Verbotomy Cup

Yes the rumors are true!

This week we are offering new wampeter for Verbotomists everywhere — The Verbotomy Cup!

The Verbotomy Cup

The top player of the week, based on our weekly Author ranking, will win a their own personalized Verbotomy Cup. It is a beautiful, machine-made, 10 oz ceramic cup, which will be emblazoned with the winner’s favorite Verbotomy comic and favorite Verboticism. Everything you need to verbotomise your friends and/or colleagues while enjoying a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Official Stuff:

The winner will be chosen based on the final stats on the Verbotomy Weekly Author Ranking for the week starting on Monday April 23, 2007.

Prize: The Verbotomy Cup with your favorite Verbotomy and your Verboticism. (Approximate Retail Value: Not available at retail.)
Contest Start Date: April 23, 2007 at 3:00:00 am EDT
Contest End Date: April 29, 2007 at 11:59:59 pm EDT

For Weekly Author Ranking see:
See: https://www.verbotomy.com/verbotomists.php?week=2007-04-23

For complete contest rules and regulations please see our Verbotomy Contest Rules and Regulations.

The Verbotomy Interview: Rikboyee

Verbotomy Game Inventor, James Gang, chats with Vonnegut Week’s Winning Verbotomist, Rikboyee!

James Gang: Congratulations for winning top spot at Verbotomy this week! You can see the final results at: https://www.verbotomy.com/verbotomists.php?week=2007-04-16. Now would you be wiling to share a few of your trade secrets with us? I would like to ask you about your creative approach? What do you do? How do you consistently come up with such great verboticisms?

Rikboyee: Most the time they just pop. I tend to be a word masher. If I am struggling for ideas I do have a look at what other people are coming up with… And recently I have also gone to thesaurus.com for inspiration.

James Gang: What about Kurt Vonnegut? Are you a KV fan? And did you find the Verbotomy word challenges harder, or easier, during KV week?

Rikboyee: I am a MASSIVE KV fan. He is my all time favourite author. I have read all of his books. [Except for his most recent collection of short musing. Oh, and Palm Sunday, but it’s only a matter of time] Slapstick is my favourite book of all time. I didn’t find it any harder this week. Some definitions were tricky. Some not so hard.

James Gang: Obviously, being a big KV Fan certainly help your on Vonnegut Week. You game up some truly Vonnegutian words. Now let me ask you about Verbotomy. If there was anything you could change about the game, what would it be?

Rikboyee: The voting and scoring system is a bit exploitable. Especially now there are prizes up for grabs. Someone could join the site on a prize week, make up 20 words from the backlog of definitions and end up with 220 points. Then they’d most likely win the week without even scoring a single vote. That would suck.

James Gang: Actually the weekly scoring system capped so that you only get points for the first five words that you create in a given week. This makes it fair for everyone. But it does seem weird when a new player creates 5 word on the first day then appears to jump way ahead of the pack. However, these rabbits are capped and the rest of the steady player (retortises all) will catch them. But this is something we are working on and will fix.

Rikboyee: And with prizes it also makes it hard to vote honestly… Should I vote for that awesome word even though it will mean that person will end up ahead of me on the ladder? It’s a moral dilemma., I can tell you.

James Gang: Yes prizes and incentives do changes things, and make it a little more complicated. But after watching players create hundreds of words, I think that the best words do rise to the top.

Rikboyee: Is it possible to keep the authors and running totals secret until after you’ve cast your votes? And should it be compulsory to have out your votes in before you can submit your next word? Oh and I’ve often thought you shouldn’t be able to vote until the next day. So that all the words have been submitted before anyone can vote. So basically each day you go to the site, there’s a new definition and a complete list of yesterday’s words (with the authors and running totals hidden), and you have to put in your 2 votes before you can submit a new word. Or something like that…

James Gang: Save the voting until tomorrow. Yes, I call it the Yesterday Voting System. A few people have suggested that idea. In fact, when I first designed the game that is how I thought it would work. And in the first prototypes, people could not see, or vote for any other words, until the following day. However it seemed unsatisfying, because this is the internet, and everyone is used to getting all the information they want instantly. People want immediate feedback. That’s why we have opened it up and allowed to see everyone to see and vote on everyone else’s words. And for me, one of the most entertaining things is ready the comments that everyone makes on each other words. I think that it promotes group’s overall creativity…

Of course if a lot of Verbotomy Writers want to use the Yesterday Voting System, we could test it out again.

Rikboyee: I’d also like some sort of Overall Scoreboard…instead of just week to week.

James Gang: Yes, that would be a good idea! It’s on the drawing board. We are getting near the end of our conversation, would you like to suggest a Verbotomy Definition?

Rikboyee: I would feel wrong suggesting a definition, because then if I came up with a good word for it. it would seem a bit ‘convenient’.

James Gang: Yes very convenient, In fact it is a convenience, to which several players have opportuned themselves. Anyways, I want to thank you for taking the time to chat with me. And once again I congratulate you on your terrific victory on Vonnegut Week. I have received the hardcover copy of the Cat’s Cradle, and as added bonus for you, it appears to be a 1963 edition, so it must be a collector’s item! I will mail it to you this week. I am sure that as “Massive KV fan” you will treasure it!

 Rikboyee: Thanks for your awesome site. I am a shameless Verbotomy addict (found your site through JayisGames) and the fact that you had a Vonnegut tribute just reinforces that I am amongst like-minded folk.