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'So team, what do you think of my new idea?'

DEFINITION: n., An expressive gesture made with the belief that the person it is directed at cannot see it, typically occurs during telephone conversations, email discourses, and behind people's backs. v. To use an unseen gesture to express what you cannot say.

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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.

Gesticuliaration

Created by: Chants

Pronunciation:

Sentence:

Etymology:

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Pantosign

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: pan to sine

Sentence: Harvey's banal suggestions were always met with the usual pantosigns by his supportive employees.

Etymology: pantomime (using gestures, not words) & sign (gesture, motion)

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COMMENTS:

Excellent! - silveryaspen, 2008-02-06: 17:57:00

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Shomotion

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: sho mo shun

Sentence: When their boss called on a conference call from Honolulu with one of his hare-brained ideas, the office staff did their shomotion repertoire to indicate their disapproval. It worked fine until the boss installed Skype...

Etymology: Show (a public exhibition;expression)& Motion (gesture;non-verbal communcation)

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Invisubordination

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: in viz sub ord in ay shun

Sentence: When the boss was on the road, which luckily was often, he called a phone meeting every morning to keep tabs on the slaves he'd left behind. They made the right noises back at him, but while he was giving them orders and bragging about his ideas, they would commit acts of invisubordination. Between crude gestures, funny faces, stifled laughter and eye-rolling they acted out their true feelings for him. Imagine their surprise when they came in on a Monday morning to find out he had installed televisual equipment and they would have to act as though he was really in the room. What a killjoy!

Etymology: Invisible (unseen;impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye) & Insubordination (defiance of authority)

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Unseenisms

Created by: Llama

Pronunciation: Un-seen-isms

Sentence: The poor director had no idea of the horrible unseenisms his subordinates were giving him over the phone.

Etymology:

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COMMENTS:

There is a place for this word in our language! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-01-28: 16:57:00

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Invisign

Created by: Dougalistic

Pronunciation: In-vis-sine

Sentence: Geoff made an invisign to Bob the other day, it was hilarious! As you know Geoff has a fetish for sheep, so Bob, being the funny man he is got hold of Geoff's picture of a sheep and started making thrusting gestures down the phone haha! Geoff would have hit the roof!!

Etymology: Invisible - withdrawn from or out of sight; hidden: e.g. 'an invisible seam'. Sign - any object, action, event, pattern, etc., that conveys a meaning.

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COMMENTS:

Very descriptive sentence! [Things that make you go 'Ewe'...] - Tigger, 2008-01-28: 12:06:00

You are so baaaa-d you are good! - silveryaspen, 2008-01-28: 12:41:00

Probably did it with a sheepish grin! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-01-28: 17:01:00

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Gesticulatent

Created by: Nosila

Pronunciation: jest tick you klay tent.

Sentence: Every time Fred called his employees on the phone from his travels, his reponses would be a bunch of gesticulatent signals from his rather immature staff.

Etymology: gesticulate (to show, express or direct through movement) & latent (at some eventual time in the future, potential)

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COMMENTS:

metrohumanx Excellent combination. - metrohumanx, 2008-11-19: 20:17:00

metrohumanx A beautiful word. I am stunned by the brevity of your sentence. Still love it, though! - metrohumanx, 2008-11-21: 08:34:00

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Handestine

Created by: Jabberwocky

Pronunciation: han/dess/tine

Sentence: They thought the CEO couldn't see the one fingered handestine salute he was given behind his back. Little did they know he wore two way mirrored glasses.

Etymology: hand + clandestine (covert)

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COMMENTS:

digitally enhanced vision! like it - galwaywegian, 2008-01-28: 07:19:00

I seriously debated over whether to even bother trying to make a word today, I liked this one so much...fantabulous. - Banky, 2008-01-28: 08:22:00

This will be heard, for it's such a handy word, by design, usefully fine! - silveryaspen, 2008-01-28: 12:52:00

Handsome! - OZZIEBOB, 2008-01-28: 16:21:00

I have to hand it to you! You handled this challenge well!! Easily the best word today!!! - Stevenson0, 2008-01-28: 21:01:00

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Twofaceteam

Created by: kmartinmt

Pronunciation: two-face-team

Sentence: it's hard to get respect if you have a "twofaceteam."

Etymology:

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Stealthcontempt

mrskellyscl

Created by: mrskellyscl

Pronunciation: stealth-con-tempt

Sentence: Eighth grade teachers feel a certain amount of stealthcontempt every time they turn their backs to their class. Girls giggle, pencils get dropped and a new generation of class clowns begin honing their skills at the teacher's expense. The young comics eventually learn, though, that the teacher really does have eyes in the back of her head, knows every trick in the book, and is not amused. The fledgling jesters are doomed to spend many long hours of their young lives doing long division problems and cleaning erasers.

Etymology: wordplay on self-contempt: to consider oneself as inferior; to mock or deride oneself -- stealth: an action done covertly or in secret + contempt: scorn, disrespect, open dislike; to be considered as inferior

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COMMENTS:

artr and later comes stealthloathing. - artr, 2010-04-16: 11:16:00

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Comments:

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-01-28: 00:01:00
Today's definition was suggested by ErWenn. Thank you ErWenn. ~ James

Maxine - 2008-01-28: 08:57:00
This is a really great cartoon!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-01-28: 11:03:00
Thanks Maxine! ~ James

libertybelle libertybelle - 2008-01-28: 11:12:00
I love the guy making a grab at himself - made me laugh out loud.

silveryaspen - 2008-01-28: 13:16:00
Fun definition, Erwenn. Your cartoon was uproariously funny, James. All the creations were a hoot,great job verbotomists!

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2008-01-28: 14:30:00
ErWenn's definitions always always seem to generate a good laugh. See: Let me hold the door for you... Thanks! ~ James

silveryaspen - 2008-11-20: 08:25:00
Missed you all. Nice to be back.

Verbotomy Verbotomy - 2010-04-16: 00:10:00
Today's definition was suggested by ErWenn. Thank you ErWenn. ~ James