Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v., To read a person's face and interpret what they are actually thinking, even if they are trying to conceal their true feelings. n., The skill of reading people's faces, especially micro-expressions.
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.
Psychodrifting
Created by: metrohumanx
Pronunciation: SIGH-coe-DRIFT-ing (psychodrifter;psychodrifted)
Sentence: Trudy and Dave were a modern "new-age" couple-Trudy believed she had extra-sensory powers bequeathed to her by her Gypsy heritage, and Dave thought he could brow-dowse anyone's deepest thoughts- even though he regularly lost all the rent money in high-stakes poker games. Through the use of crystals,aromatherapy and meditation, they both became adept at PSYCHODRIFTING the innermost thoughts of anyone they met. Trudy and Dave firmly believed in their ability to PSYCHODRIFT other's intentions - until they lost a fortune in the stock market, were audited by the IRS, and mugged on the way home from the clairvoyant's convention.
Etymology: PSYCHO+DRIFTING=PSYCHODRIFTING..... PSYCHO:prefix relating to imaginary paranormal perceptions;a deranged or psychopathic person —not used technically.....DRIFTING: idiomatic expression derived from "do you get my drift?" implying understanding;alternatively, spinning one's wheels with a subsequent loss of mental traction;to become carried along subject to no guidance or control.
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COMMENTS:
Whatever you don't follow that shot, she rang those words out with all she got With a baby and the laundry in the Chevrolet, well he thought about following anyway But he drove 'em to the strip mall laundromat, In his three day beard and his red man hat Trudy washed their bell bottom jeans, while that baby just sat there lookin' mean ..... Trudy and Dave They're out of their minds..... Well David put a match to a Lucky Strike And the smoke curled up 'round his head how he liked, It made him feel a little mysterious 'Til Trudy said "David honey, what about us?" So he thought about them and those shots ringing out And other things he shouldn't be thinking about Like how it wasn't them at all, just life that was mean And how a twenty dollar pistol made him feel so clean ..... Trudy and Dave-they're out of they're minds..... Well Trudy and Dave, those crazy kids Had a baby of their own and you heard what they did In the middle of a strip mall shots rang out Shots heard all over the world no doubt 'Cause it was there in the paper the very next day 'Bout a couple and a baby and a Chevrolet Who shot up an automatic teller machine Took the money for the laundry and drove away clean ..... song by John Hyatt - metrohumanx, 2008-10-16: 06:00:00
that's a lot of typing - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-16: 15:57:00
No typing involved. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-17: 06:19:00
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Demeanoreader
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: Dee-meen-eh-reed-er
Sentence: Seeing that he seemed to know what they were thinking even before they did, others were astounded at the unerring accuracy of Harlan's demeanoreader skills.
Etymology: Demeanor + reader
Facecracker
Created by: bzav1
Pronunciation: face + cracker
Sentence: There was no use lying to mom. Her skills as a facecracker were beyond compare.
Etymology: like a safe cracker - every great team of bankrobbers needs one
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COMMENTS:
Great word! - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-19: 09:58:00
very nice - yellowbird, 2007-11-19: 10:27:00
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Paraface
Created by: LotusB
Pronunciation: Pear-a-face
Sentence: To paraface her true reaction, Juan ignored Carla's fake smile and searched within her eyes. She was not as happy as she tried to seem.
Etymology: Paraphrase (interpret) + Face (the face) = Paraface
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COMMENTS:
I like it! - lumina, 2008-10-19: 11:41:00
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Facerism
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: feys/er/iz/uhm
Sentence: By studying her facial reaction to every word and movement and observing all her idiosyncrasies from eye to nose to chin to cheeks, he could read and interpret correctly each and every facerism she displayed.
Etymology: face + mannerism
Guesspression
Created by: frostycharlie69
Pronunciation: Ges-spre-shun (With a hard G as in "Guess" or "Got"
Sentence: I am a master of guesspression, I can guesspress you easily, with your eyes facing that way.
Etymology: Guess and Expression.
Eyeballistic
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: i/bol/is/tic
Sentence: There was no hiding anything from Kreskin. No matter how skilled one was at hiding emotions from most, if Kreskin was in the room, the person knew the jig would soon be up. Yup. He was a natual born eyeballistic, who some times infuriated those trying to "smile and wave."
Etymology: Eyeball. Ballistic-To become very angry or irrational.
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COMMENTS:
Eye get it...good word! The eyes have it. - Nosila, 2008-10-16: 23:57:00
Remember Uri Geller? - metrohumanx, 2008-10-23: 17:24:00
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Visagenary
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: viz ah jen ari
Sentence: Victor had visagenary skills. His ability to tell whether or not a person was lying was legendary. This skill had stood him well through his life and was very handy when dealing with the children he taught in school. He taught them that the truth was their only option, because you could never tell who had this power besides him. It helped while dating (her lips were smiling but her eyes weren't...) And he could have been a human lie detector for the CIA or FBI or the police. Victor figured as long as he had the gift, he might as well earn some money with it. That's when he started on the Celebrity Poker circuit and won millions with his visagenary talents!
Etymology: Visage (the human face; the appearance conveyed by a person's face) & Visionary (a person with unusual powers of foresight,seeing ahead; knowing in advance; foreseeing)
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COMMENTS:
great word - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-16: 15:52:00
Excellent! - Mustang, 2008-10-16: 19:34:00
First-rate word, that. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-17: 07:47:00
Terrific - OZZIEBOB, 2008-10-19: 00:31:00
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Faceseer
Created by: abrakadeborah
Pronunciation: Face-sea-er
Sentence: Harry Halo was a faceseer and was able to predict Harrietta's thoughts.
Etymology: A play on words; Face-and "See"-er
Fakepression
Created by: patrick12345
Pronunciation:
Sentence:
Etymology:
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COMMENTS:
good job - patrick12345, 2007-11-19: 21:20:00
ya!!!! - patrick12345, 2007-11-19: 21:20:00
i like it - patrick12345, 2007-11-19: 21:20:00
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Deciphacade
Created by: thegoatisbad
Pronunciation: de-si-fa-sod
Sentence: Kimberly was not an excellent deciphaçader, which further complicated her ability to communicate with anybody on her vacation to the newest Sandals resort in Bilbao.
Etymology: decipher (decode, interpret meaning) + façade (building's front)
Veriface
Created by: davegon
Pronunciation: ver-i-face
Sentence: By verifacing all the employees at the inservice, the boss decided that, although they said that they were willing to continue, he decided to let them out early for their lunch break.
Etymology: verify - to make sure that something is true or accurate. face - the front part of head where your eyes, nose, and mouth are.
Faceseelity
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: face/see/li/tee
Sentence: She had an uncanny faceseelity which made her everyone's favourite waitress. When you ordered the fruit salad she knew you really wanted the hot fudge sundae.
Etymology: face + see + facility
Facesper
Created by: zxvasdf
Pronunciation: Faces per
Sentence: She would sit in the middle of pedestrian traffic and be engulfed in emotion, her delicate talent facespering strains of thoughts from the expressions of strangers that streamed past her like writhing eels in a current. A facesper like her had a tendency towards a delicacy in bone structure and diminutiveness in size, as if the swell of emotion splayed on the faces of the world caused the body to shrink inwards. Facesperate attempts by non-sensitives were the subject of ridicule by true facespers.
Etymology: Face (anterior part of the skull) & ESP (Extra Sensory Perception)& -er (one that has)
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COMMENTS:
I like how you incorporated the ESP into your word - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-16: 15:54:00
What a beautifully lyrical sentence. Bravo! - metrohumanx, 2008-10-17: 12:24:00
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Visageonary
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: vis aj on ar ee
Sentence: Sandra could read Mike's face like a book. She knew him so well now, thast he knew better than to try and lie to him. Yes, she was a visageonary, but too bad Mike was not. He was the last to find out when she ran off with his best friend, Pete...because she had been able to read the signals Pete was sending her!
Etymology: Visage (the appearance conveyed by a person's face) & Visionary (a person with unusual powers of foresight)
Mugnacious
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: məgnāshəs
Sentence: The more Jason sat in the traffic jam the more mugnacious he became. Nobody had any trouble telling how he felt.
Etymology: mug (face) + pugnacious (having the appearance of a willing fighter)
Countenanvoyance
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: kown ten an voy ants
Sentence: E.S. Peer was a man gifted in countenanvoyance. He was a human lie detector and could soon sort out people's real agendas. This skill afforded him the ability to get very prestigious jobs and make himself invaluable to employers. Asked how he did it, E.S. said, "Eye can look into your face and eye nose what you are thinking. Under your make-up, eye can attest to your real make-up. You cannot brow beat me or make me en-visage something not there. Eye can tell when you mouthing something else and giving me cheek. Face it, eye can read you like a book!"
Etymology: Countenance (the Human face) & Clairvoyance (apparent power to perceive things that are not present to the senses)
Clairavoidance
Created by: mrskellyscl
Pronunciation: clair-a-voi-dance
Sentence: When Tom saw "that look" on Clair's face he used his powers of clairavoidance to disappear before she had a chance to make him do chores.
Etymology: clairvoyance: the power to perceive objects or events without use of the senses + avoidance: defense mechanism consisting of refusal to encounter unpleasant situations, objects or people
Facerism
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: feys/er/iz/uhm
Sentence: By studying her facial reaction to every word and movement and observing all her idiosyncrasies from eye to nose to chin to cheeks, he could read and interpret correctly each and every facerism she displayed.
Etymology: FACERISM - noun - from FACE (an expression, or look ) + MANNERISM (affected style, or habit in speech, or facial expressions)
Intuitinateur
Created by: Korinne
Pronunciation: In-too-it-tin-na-tor
Sentence: Suzy knew that Pete was a bonified intuitinateur, so she turned her face away from him. If he saw the her face, he'd know she lied about her whereabouts that evening.
Etymology: Intuitive + Connaisseur
Emoticonclude
Created by: Tigger
Pronunciation: ĭ-mō-tĭ-kŏn-klōōd'
Sentence: When Vicky reminded Dave about the about their church's spaghetti dinner they were supposed to go to on Sunday, and he replied that he was looking forward to it, she correctly emoticoncluded that he'd rather be watching football instead, and that he'd be looking for any excuse to get him out of the event — she could tell by his too eager expression.
Etymology: Emoticon (English Slang: 1980–85; blend of 'emotion' and 'icon') + conclude - "to determine by reasoning; deduce; infer" (Latin, concludere - comb. form of claudere, "to shut")
Demeanoreader
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: de-MEEN-ehr-reed-ehr
Sentence: Donny was a gifted demeanoreader, able to tell at a glance from their body language and facial expressions just what others were thinking and feeling.
Etymology: Blend of 'demeanor' (outward manner) and 'reader' (one who reads or is reading)
Mugmystic
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: muhg-mis-tik
Sentence: Lucy believes that she has mugmystic powers, able to discern anybody's mood or feelings just by looking at their face. The truth is her insight are telepathetic.
Etymology: mug (face) + mystic ( person who claims to attain, or believes in the possibility of attaining, insight into mysteries transcending ordinary human knowledge)
Wiseguise
Created by: petaj
Pronunciation: wise guys
Sentence: Carl was no wiseguise. He could never tell what his girlfriend was thinking despite careful study of her expressions.
Etymology: wise (knowledgeable) + guise (face/expression) + wise guy (smarty pants)
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COMMENTS:
good one petaj - Jabberwocky, 2007-11-19: 12:10:00
Nice word! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-11-19: 16:15:00
Yup, very creative. - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-19: 18:14:00
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Reademright
Created by: TJayzz
Pronunciation: Ree-dem-ryt
Sentence: Ever since Sarah had learned to reademright she could tell exactly what people were really thinking, which came in very handy in her job as a policewoman. She was soon promoted to the highest ranks, but kept her skill very much to herself as she wanted to be seen to have achieved it through hard work and effort.
Etymology: Read(to discover by interpreting symbols, expressions or character) + Right(factually correct) = Reademright
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COMMENTS:
and then she had to reademtheirrights - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-16: 15:58:00
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Obsenserate
Created by: mvandyke
Pronunciation: ob sense er ate
Sentence: Mark could easily 'obsenserate' Jeff's expression.
Etymology:
Mugnous
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: Muhg-nouse
Sentence: It seems that even without someone speaking, but just thinking about speaking, Roxie was able to interpret their faciaguile and see through their emociopacity with ease. Call it prosoperspicacity or - in layman's language - mugnous, she could read others like an open book.
Etymology: Mug: n. face of a person:; vb: to mug - to make exaggerated facial expressions. 2. Prosoperspicacious: blend of prosopo (face)& perspicacious (penetrating mental vision or discernment)
Visagenary
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: vee saj en er ree
Sentence: Hall was gifted with the ability to read other people's faces. It meant he was a visagenary, very handy when dating the ladies...
Etymology: Visage (face) & Visionary (person gifted with foresight, a seer)
Graspeculate
Created by: hendrixius
Pronunciation: grass-peck-u-late
Sentence: When the girl flashed Bobby a mischievous smile, he graspeculated that she found his geeky persona irresistible.
Etymology: grasp and speculate
Demeanoreveal
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: de-MEEN-er-ree-veel
Sentence: Carmine had an uncanny ability to glance at another person and within seconds after scanning their countenance could lay out demeanoreveal in great detail and with great accuracy just what that person was thinking at that moment.
Etymology: Blend of demeanor and reveal
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COMMENTS:
Good word - OZZIEBOB, 2008-10-19: 00:32:00
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Ekman
Created by: CDH167
Pronunciation: eck man
Sentence: I thought I could lie with a straight face, but when I got home, my wife totally ekmanned me.
Etymology: From Paul Ekman, the psychologist who discovered microexpressions.
Corrictus
Created by: astorey
Pronunciation: core-ick-tus
Sentence: Suzanne was not known for her poker face, but when her best friend eagerly unzipped a garment bag to reveal a hideous maid of honor dress intended for Suzanne, she tried to hide her horror. In spite of the typical bride narcissism, Tory took one look at Suzanne's corrictus and started to cry.
Etymology: Correct + rictus, which means a facial expression that is an open-mouthed grimace.
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COMMENTS:
The poofy sleeves, the colour you least suit, the sheer unrewearability of the briddesmaid gown...why oh why do they do it? Do they really think an ugly bridesmaid outfit makes the bride look better??? Think again! - Nosila, 2008-10-17: 00:04:00
Quite jolly! - metrohumanx, 2008-10-17: 06:20:00
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Faceseelity
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: face/see/li/tee
Sentence: She had an uncanny faceseelity which made her everyone's favourite waitress. When you ordered the fruit salad she knew you really wanted the hot fudge sundae.
Etymology: face + see + facility
Tellepathy
Created by: MrDave2176
Pronunciation: tel-EHP-ath-ee
Sentence: Maria's tellepathy was uncanny. She correctly read the disappointment on her son's face at his bag lunch options, and picked up on her husband's stress at his upcoming meeting. She tossed a candy bar into her son's lunch and spent a few extra seconds hugging her husband at the door to make things smoother.
Etymology: tell (the small nuances of behavior that poker players read in games) + (tel)epathy
Headthought
Created by: jkernen1
Pronunciation:
Sentence: I had to take a quick headthought before I knew what her eyes were telling me.
Etymology: headshot + thought
Facsolve
Created by: remistram
Pronunciation: feys-solv
Sentence: She knew her in-laws hated lobster so she made sure there was plenty to go around, and due to her stellar facsolve abilities she realised that they wanted to kill her.
Etymology: face + solve (as in interpret correctly)
Muglication
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: məglikāshən
Sentence: Despite trying to hide her emotions, Bill can read Joyce*s face like a book. It might as well be a muglication.
Etymology: mug (a person\'s face) + publication (a book, journal, etc. issued for public sale)
Mugsense
Created by: xirtam
Pronunciation: muhg-sens
Sentence: Although David denied it, Carol's mugsense told her that he had indeed eaten the last cookie.
Etymology: mug: slang – the face. + Sense: Latin sénsus - sensation, feeling, understanding.
Espivisage
Created by: purpleartichokes
Pronunciation: ESS-pee-vih-sahzh
Sentence: Sue used ESPivisage to successfully conclude that Bob wanted a burger and fries for lunch, and not the leftover tofurkey sandwich she suggested.
Etymology: ESP, visage, espionage
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COMMENTS:
Nice blend with good use of ESP! - OZZIEBOB, 2007-11-19: 16:16:00
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Psykenface
Created by: garythesnail
Pronunciation: SI-ken-face
Sentence: He psykenfaced her.
Etymology: PSYchic+teleKENisis+FACE
Miensavvy
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: meen-SAV-ee
Sentence: It seems that even without someone speaking, but just thinking about speaking, Roxie was able to interpret their faciaguile and see through their emociopacity with ease. Call it prosoperspicacity or - in layman's language - mugnous; or perhaps, even better, miensavvy, she could read others like an open book.
Etymology: blend of MIEN; Bearing or manner, especially as it reveals an inner state of mind: MENSA(?):M-, the name of an organization for people of IQs of 148 or more founded in England in 1946, & SAVVY.: Well informed and perceptive; n. shrewdness; practical understanding
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COMMENTS:
great sentence - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-16: 15:55:00
Very good. Clever wording in your sentence. - Mustang, 2008-10-16: 19:40:00
WOW- A whole buncha bonusisms there- all for the price of one. Good Word, and even better sentence. - metrohumanx, 2008-10-17: 07:52:00
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Rosettaface
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: rōˈzetə fās
Sentence: Crystal could never keep a secret. She had a real rosettaface. If there was a thought or emotion within her being, it was expressed on her face like a neon sign. Much as she might try she could not conceal her feelings. Even her goldfish had her pegged.
Etymology: Rosetta Stone (a key to some previously undecipherable mystery) + Face (the front part of a person's head from the forehead to the chin)
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COMMENTS:
Wonderfully arcane reference! Top-notch word! - metrohumanx, 2008-10-16: 06:04:00
another goodie artr - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-16: 15:59:00
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Comments:
Verbotomy - 2007-11-19: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by aigle101. Thank you aigle101! ~ James
Verbotomy - 2007-11-19: 00:02:00
If you are interested in learning more about face reading and micro-expressions, check out The Naked Face. It's an article written by Malcolm Gladwell which originally appeared New Yorker magazine. ~ James
metrohumanx - 2008-10-16: 06:24:00
Clairvoyant wins lottery for second time!
artr - 2008-10-16: 19:13:00
Nobody ever really wants the fruit salad.:-)
Verbotomy - 2010-03-12: 00:34:00
Today's definition was suggested by aigle101. Thank you aigle101. ~ James