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...

You have two votes. Click on the words to read the details, then vote your favorite.

Beautronic

Created by: abrakadeborah

Pronunciation: Bew-tron-ik

Sentence: Al was in awe of Katie's shiny new beautronic device. To his dismay...it was not something he could compute.

Etymology: Taken in part of the word Beautiful: "Beau" - The concept of beauty. Taken in part of the word Electronic- "Tronic" - Of or pertaining to electronics or to devices, circuits, or systems developed through electronics

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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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Wowidget

artr

Created by: artr

Pronunciation: wouwijit

Sentence: Wendell spends much of his spare time in the wowidget store admiring the newest **gotta haves**. The fact that he doesn*t understand them does little to suppress his awe. He does understand that his vocabulary is being truncated by people who don*t have time for all those pesky syllables. He used to buy applications. Now they are just apps. He used to use a telephone. Now it is just a phone (soon to be a pho or fo?) He also knows that he is quickly running out of mon(ey).

Etymology: wow (expressing astonishment or admiration) + widget (a small gadget or device, esp. one whose name is unknown or unspecified)

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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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Doohickey

Created by: colapop

Pronunciation: \ˈdü-ˌhi-kē\

Sentence: Alice flashed her doohickey at Todd and he was floored. 'Wow, what is that?' he exclaimed, itching to get his hands on the device. 'No no Mister, don't you dare touch my doohickey until you've read the manual' she cooed.

Etymology: 'Doohickey' first originated in 1914, but seems fit for a revival. It derives from the word 'doodad' (gadget) + 'hickey' (love mark)

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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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Ignorantechnofancy

Created by: jaros

Pronunciation:

Sentence:

Etymology:

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Whatchamacovet

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: wha-tcha-ma-cov-it

Sentence: Jim watchamacoveted the new marvelous toy that his neighbor's son got for Christmas. "A wonder to behold, it was, with many colors bright. And the moment he laid eyes on it, it became his heart's delight. It went 'zip' when it moved and 'bop' when it stopped and 'whirr' when it stood still. He never knew just what it was, and I guess he never will".

Etymology: whatchamacallit: something whose name is unknown or forgotten; a widget, gadget, gizmo, doodad, thingamajig or doohickey + covet: blameworthy desire for another's stuff; wish for longingly. "The Marvelous Toy" (apologies to Tom Paxton)was a song sung by Peter, Paul and Mary (RIP) about a mystical toy, handed down from father to son, that had no name, no purpose, but seemed to have magical powers to amuse and delight the recipient.

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COMMENTS:

Good blend...I remember that old song! - Nosila, 2009-12-30: 01:53:00

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Gadgedweeb

Created by: serendipity9000

Pronunciation: ga-dja-dw-ee-b

Sentence: He was always buying the latest pretty gadgets but never could get them to work - he is such a gadgedweeb!

Etymology: Gadge (from gadget) + dweeb (a person regarded as socially inept or foolish)

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Contriviance

Created by: blacklotus90

Pronunciation: kun-triv-ee-ance

Sentence: That new RSS-reading toaster is nothing more than a contriviance!

Etymology: Contrivance (a device to perform a certain task) + Trivial (pointless, useless, futile)

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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