Vote for the best verboticism.

'That's cool technology! It's my deodorant.'

DEFINITION: v. To obsess over, and fantasize about electronic gadgets even though you can never figure out how they actually work. n. A beautiful but useless gadget.

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Verboticisms

Click on each verboticism to read the sentences created by the Verbotomy writers, and to see your voting options...

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Gizmomitty

Created by: OZZIEBOB

Pronunciation: giz-moh-MIT-ee

Sentence: Bob spent most of his day, failing to understand how to operate and use even the latest, simple electronic gadgets. But, never mind, and despite the setbacks suffered, he set his gizmomitty steadfastly on the practical applications of the "inventions" of Heath Robinson, Rube Goldberg and the japanese chindoguists.

Etymology: GIZMO: A mechanical device or part whose name is forgotten or unknown; a gadget. & MITTY: "Walter Mitty" (by James Thurber): a meek, mild man with a vivid fantasy life imagining himself a wartime pilot, etc., The character's name has come into more general use to refer to an ineffectual dreamer.

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COMMENTS:

You had me with the 'gizmo' part. - Mustang, 2008-07-25: 07:06:00

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Whatchamadooz

Created by: ErWenn

Pronunciation: /ˌʍʌtʃəməˈduz/

Sentence: My new vacuum cleaner comes with all sorts of whatchamadoozes and wherchamattachits, but the instruction manual only has very ambiguous pictures.

Etymology: From "What does it do?" in the same way that "whatchamacallit" comes from "What do you call it?"

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COMMENTS:

I think that the ambiguous, uncaptioned picture-instructions included with some whatchamadoozes would make a good verboticism. - ErWenn, 2007-06-04: 02:33:00

OK, just to be fair I'm waiting until later today to vote, but rest assured: you've got my vote. One of 'em, anyway. - Clayton, 2007-06-04: 06:27:00

Thanks both for voting and for waiting! - ErWenn, 2007-06-04: 12:08:00

I think they call those drawings Picasholes. I've used one to try to assemble what looked like a simple filing cabinet. Five months, and five friends later, it's almost together! - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-04: 15:29:00

Done and done. - Clayton, 2007-06-04: 21:41:00

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Gizmobsession

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: giz mob sess shun

Sentence: Brandy had a gizmobsession with her latest purchase. She showed it to all her friends who thought it was cool, but did not understand its function. Truth is, Brandy did not know what it was for either. Her friends were too embarrassed for her to point out that her latest download app was actually a letter opener/windshield scraper mounted on a fridge magnet...

Etymology: gizmo (a device that is very useful for a particular job; something whose name is either forgotten or not known) & Obsession (an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone)

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Electrogadge

Created by: monkeyx013

Pronunciation: e-lekt-roh-gahj

Sentence: Stick your meta data in my electrogadge!

Etymology: From chimpanzee culture

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Newtonspire

Created by: jadenguy

Pronunciation: New - Tin - Spire

Sentence: She coughed into her sleeve as she roamed the back alleys looking for her available dumpster, one left undisturbed by the savage local gearheads; the south side seemed promising, teeming with office parks rented often to failed startups. Her next hit of Newtonspiration would come in the form of a smart-minifridge. The internet would never go want for her milk-status again!

Etymology: Apple Newton + inspire or perspire or maybe just a spire, like the holy thing on churches that doesn't really mean anything in modern Christianity (look it up).

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COMMENTS:

great story as usual jadenguy - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-04: 12:21:00

thanks! i really like to put time into carefully crafting the exact feel of my word through narrative. - jadenguy, 2007-06-04: 12:33:00

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Thingamabawe

Created by: toadstool57

Pronunciation: thing-a-ma-bah

Sentence: Dave's thingamabawe got him a ton of nifty gadgets that he couldn't work and $10,000 in debt.

Etymology: thingamabob/awe

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COMMENTS:

this works really well with the cartoon - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-04: 11:59:00

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Wowidget

Created by: LonePaladin

Pronunciation: wou-wij-it

Sentence: 1. It's always fun to watch Phillip wowidget over the latest cell phones. 2. Just about everything sold at Sharper Image is a wowidget; nice to look at, but do you really need it?

Etymology: 1. Wow + 'idjit' (slang for idiot) 2. Wow + widget

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Utensilly

Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: you/tense/silly

Sentence: Chris had a workshop full of every utensilly ever sold on the shopping channel.

Etymology: utensil + silly

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COMMENTS:

Nice word. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-07-27: 17:46:00

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Gizmotional

Created by: purpleartichokes

Pronunciation: giz-mo-shun-uhl

Sentence: Bob became gizmotional and overwhelmed with gadgeglee upon opening his new 10-in-one remote control, until he realized the only button he recognized was "On".

Etymology: gizmo, emotional

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COMMENTS:

very heartfelt purple - Jabberwocky, 2007-06-04: 12:01:00

Good word. - ErWenn, 2007-06-04: 12:09:00

Good thing I didn't add the part about him pushing the down button and crushing the neighbor's cat under their garage door. (flintstones, meet the flintstones... thanks for my current bout of tunacy jabber. grrrrr....) - purpleartichokes, 2007-06-04: 12:13:00

Word of the day. I get so gizmotional, baby... every time I watch Gremlins Two-hoo-hoo. - Clayton, 2007-06-04: 21:45:00

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Gizmofetish

Created by: Mustang

Pronunciation: GIZ - moe - fet - ish

Sentence: Being smitten with a very passionate gizmofetish, Warren could not pass up any opportunity to fiddle with technological toys or devices and often made a complete fool of himself with his absolute lack of understanding of how they work.

Etymology: Blend of 'gizmo' (A mechanical device or part whose name is forgotten or unknown; a gadget) and 'fetish' (any object, idea, etc., eliciting unquestioning reverence, respect, or devotion)

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COMMENTS:

metrohumanx It's terrible to suffer the stigma of a thingamajig hangup. Damn those deviant doohickeys! - metrohumanx, 2008-07-25: 01:15:00

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-06-04: 01:33:00
Today's definition was suggested by shutz. Thank you shutz! ~ James

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2007-06-04: 01:55:00
Read about Jabberwocky's Garden of Verbal Delights in Verbotoweek.

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2008-07-25: 00:56:00
pronunciation: uh-GOG-uh-tek........... sentence:Poor old Ira Gobler was AGOGATECH at his designer's latest device.He was so AGOGATECH that he let the factory's flaccid finances flow into a virtual vat of vapors while he thoughtfully tinkered and tweaked the tin toys and gamboled among the gizmoes generated just beyond the grounded iron gates of the fabrication facility...Someday...he would write an operator's manual...................... etymology: Agog+at+Technology=aGOGatech!

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2008-07-25: 01:12:00
Sometimes my "comments" seem to appear in the wrong places....if only some clever soul would invent a GIZBO to prevent that.

metrohumanx metrohumanx - 2008-07-25: 01:20:00
....my brain hurts.....

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2009-12-29: 00:10:00
Today's definition was suggested by shutz. Thank you shutz. ~ James