Vote for the best verboticism.
DEFINITION: v. To remain calm, steadfast and ploddingly systematic in the midst of a huge freaking disaster. n. A person who systematizes everything from their morning routines to personal relationships.
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.
Hocusfocus
Created by: Stevenson0
Pronunciation: ho/cus/fo/cus
Sentence: It was Black Monday, the stock market was crashing and with all the wild rumours, panic, hysteria and insanity trader Davis Smith was in the state of hocusfocus, buying, selling, shorting and stabilizing his clients' portfolios among the doomsdayers and panic traders.
Etymology: hocus pocus + focus
Herosterics
Created by: janatic
Pronunciation:
Sentence: When the proverbial feces hits the fan, you can count on Stan to fall into herosterics.
Etymology: hero + hysterics
Woethodical
Created by: OZZIEBOB
Pronunciation: woh-THOD-i-kuhl
Sentence: No matter what the crisis or meltdown at hand was, and even if it was obvious that there was little reason to believe it could be rationally managed, Bob's always took the same panickless, woethodical way of handling it, calmly uttering "She'll be right, mate."
Etymology: WOE: misfortune, calamity, anguish, tribulation, trial, wretchedness, melancholy. m-ETHODICAL: performed, disposed, or acting in a systematic way; systematic; orderly; painstaking, esp. slow and careful; deliberate
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COMMENTS:
WOETHODICAL- Good one, Ozziebob! - metrohumanx, 2008-07-10: 07:56:00
very nice - Jabberwocky, 2008-07-10: 09:37:00
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Turtaculous
Created by: vetmommy2
Pronunciation: turr-tack-you-luss
Sentence: The preacher's remarkable focus on his sermon was turtaculous in the midst of the absolute spectacle created when the bewildered and astonished parents of the streaking toddler ran after her up the aisle of the overcrowded and sweltering church. (OK, this didn't actually happen, but easily could have when my toddler removed all her clothes in the cry room at church a few weekends ago and then grabbed the doorknob to let herself out...)
Etymology: turtle + spectacular + fabulous: imagining a turtle pulling its head and stuff into its shell as the mad world goes racing and clamoring past it...
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COMMENTS:
Very interesting:love the "turtle" element. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-07-11: 18:13:00
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Femalusional
Created by: metrohumanx
Pronunciation: FEE-MUH-LOOSH-UH-NULL
Sentence: Ever since his apartment fire, James had become unsufferably FEEMALUSIONAL. He traveled with a fire extinguisher, kept a stock of bottled water in the attic, had a medical kit the size of a fooslocker, a portable degenerator and a satellite phone with GPS...yet his pandering scoutmaster attitude and hopelessly optimistic pseudocheerfulness in the face of impending disaster forced his peers to reject him like a transplanted baboon heart.
Etymology: FEMA:Federal Emergency Management Agency + DELUSIONAL:A false belief that is resistant to confrontation with actual facts.
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COMMENTS:
It can't happen here. - metrohumanx, 2008-07-10: 07:47:00
super important to read the etymology on this one metro but great blend - Jabberwocky, 2008-07-10: 09:32:00
Hey, crew ! Check this site out:
http://www.blackstump.com.au/ - metrohumanx, 2008-07-10: 09:36:00
Good one, metrohumanx...a woman doing what James did would be a Fema Fatale, n'est-ce pas? - Nosila, 2008-07-10: 23:13:00
love your etymology. - OZZIEBOB, 2008-07-11: 18:16:00
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Catastaunch
Created by: ErWenn
Pronunciation: /kəˈtæˌstɔːntʃ/
Sentence: When calamity strikes, it's often surprising to see who steps up to catastaunch the flow of disaster; it's not always whom you expect.
Etymology: from catastrophe + staunch (meaning both "steadfast" and "to stop the flow of")
Disafearance
Created by: lumina
Pronunciation: dis/a/feer/ance
Sentence: When Julie found herself on an emergency Walmart run at 2 in the morning, she was glad she had mastered disafearance. No way did she want her ex and his model girlfriend to know how humiliated she was to be seen in her holey sweats as well as braless.
Etymology: the ability to "disappear" from the siight of others due to intense "fear" of being seen.
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COMMENTS:
DISAFEARANCE needed in a brave new world... - metrohumanx, 2008-07-10: 20:54:00
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Fiascool
Created by: pinwheel
Pronunciation: fee/as/cool
Sentence: The caterers were running late, the flowers were wilting, the groom was still running around naked after his stag night and I was struggling to get into my dress. It was all a horrible mess but throughout it all James, the best man, was totally fiascool.
Etymology: fiasco + cool
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COMMENTS:
he probably went to fiaschool! - galwaywegian, 2007-05-10: 07:18:00
Maybe he had studied how to remain calm. He was a fiascholar. - petaj, 2007-05-11: 02:13:00
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Pragmatician
Created by: Wordsmith
Pronunciation: prag-ma-ti-shun
Sentence: She was never emotional, didn't skip a beat; she immediately took control in a calm, orderly fashion resolving the issue as any pragmatician would.
Etymology: from the latin gramaticus, greek gmatico
Comments:
Today's definition was inspired by Cory Doctorow's short story "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" which is published in Overclocked, and was suggested by autophile. Thank you Cory and autophile! ~ James
I'm still grinning at this one. Well done!
Today's definition was suggested by doctorow. Thank you doctorow. ~ James