Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v., To search for and find a pen to write down an important note, only to discover that the pen does not work. n., A moment in time when the only pens you can find, are pens that do not work.
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.
Inkconspicuous
Created by: Jabberwocky
Pronunciation: in/kon/spic/yu/us
Sentence: Maybe if he pressed hard enough on the paper he would be able to see an outline of his words but the pen was virtually inkonspicuous.
Etymology: ink + inconspicuous
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COMMENTS:
Like it! - TJayzz, 2008-10-03: 14:28:00
good one! - Nosila, 2008-10-03: 20:15:00
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Pennotwritis
Created by: tuckerdognc
Pronunciation: Pen-not-wri-tis
Sentence: I can't believe I have pennotwritis again. I could have sworn I threw all these out.
Etymology: thought to be from the latin, pendenitis, the affliction caused by having too many pens.
Inkompentense
Created by: Nosila
Pronunciation: ink kom pen tens
Sentence: Inkredibly inkonvenient is what he thought. Here he was trying to find a pen that worked to write down the number given him on the phone message he had just accidentally erased from his answering machine...while that number was still in his head. His inklination was to give up, but it would be inkonsiderate to not call back and arrange that interview. Heaven knows his inkome relied upon his getting hired for this great job. At this moment, without a functioning pen, he was in a state of inkompentense. Luckily, he found his cell phone and managed to get the number inkarcerated into it, before it was lost in the fog of poor memory. Hopefully he would not sound inkoherent at his interview...
Etymology: Incompetence (inability of a part or organ to function properly) & Ink (a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing) & Pen (writing implement) & Tense (make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time)
Pendaver
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: pen/daver
Sentence: It's another of Murphy's Laws that writing utensils turn into pendavers when an important message needs to be scribbled.
Etymology: PENDAVER noun - from PEN (instrument for writing) + CADAVER (a dead body)
Bickenscratch
Created by: xirtam
Pronunciation: bic-en-skrach
Sentence: With the only pen I could find out of ink, I had to bickenscratch the phone number into the note pad so I could read the indentations later.
Etymology: bic: a brand of pen + Chicken Scratch: slang; poor or illegible writing. Scratch: To write or draw by scraping or cutting the lines into a surface.
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COMMENTS:
To be precise, this is the inevitable result of the event described, but I like it! 'He bickenscratched his way through the morning until he finally found a pen that worked.' - Tigger, 2007-11-06: 13:23:00
I like it too. Resembles my grocery list. - purpleartichokes, 2007-11-06: 20:01:00
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Peninkless
Created by: Mustang
Pronunciation: PEN-ink-less
Sentence: As was so often the case when he needed a pen in an important moment the only one Germain could find was completely dry and leaving him peninkless once again.
Etymology: Blend of pen and ink with the suffix 'less', (without)
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COMMENTS:
poor Germain - Jabberwocky, 2008-10-03: 09:45:00
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Ironical
Created by: jsmccarty82
Pronunciation: I-ron-ick-al
Sentence: It seems that this journal is a chronicle of ironies. Hey it should be called an ironical journal!
Etymology: A chronicle of ironies.
Ballpointless
Created by: artr
Pronunciation: bôlˌpoint lis
Sentence: Rusty had a wonderful idea. This happened so infrequently that it seemed imperative to write it down. He reached for a ballpointless pen and proceeded to do little more than tear a hole in a piece of paper. This whole exercise was ballpointless. He then had to try his entire collection of paper scratchers. As he looked at the advertising message on a pen and wondered where he had pilfered each one, the original thought he wanted to save for humanity slowly faded away, never to return.
Etymology: ballpoint (a pen with a tiny ball as its writing point) + pointless (having little or no sense, use, or purpose)
Stupenaled
Created by: looseball
Pronunciation: stew pen awld
Sentence: Look at him that pen has never worked I just lay it down and stupenal him every time.
Etymology:
Inkubaiter
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: eenk/u/bate/r
Sentence: Ralph could not sleep again. As usual he found himself up at 3:30 a.m. in front of the TV. Nothing but infomercials and shopping channels. Suddenly to his delight, there was a "Call in the next 15 minutes and get the entire set for just $199.99" announcement. He didn't really need anymore Star Trek paraphernalia, but who needs any in the first place, right? He got up off the couch and ran to the kitchen junk drawer for a pen, only to find when he got on the couch that he had grabbed nothing but an inkubaiter. As he ran back to the junk drawer for another writing instrument, he heard, "And that about does it. Our time is up. Live long and prosper!"
Etymology: *ink* bait:To entice, especially by trickery or strategy. (spinning of incubator)
Comments:
Today's definition was suggested by vixphilia. Thank you vixphilia! ~ James'
OZZIEBOB - 2007-11-06: 16:53:00
Good word!
Today's definition was suggested by vixphilia. Thank you vixphilia. ~ James
Petrikreink - 2020-03-03: 05:14:00