catch-alls
Places for everything
Catch-alls are containers, categories, or terms that hold miscellaneous items or cover a broad range of things.
A drawer becomes a catch-all for odds and ends.
A legal clause may serve as a catch-all for situations not explicitly covered: The "other duties as assigned" line is a catch-all that lets them ask you to do anything.
The word often implies vagueness or convenience over precision.
Including all elements
- encompassingIncluding all within bounds
- universalAffecting all equally
- blanketSoft bed covering
- umbrellaHandheld rain shelter
sweeping · across-the-board · wall-to-wall · wholesale · indiscriminate · nonselective · unselective · broad-brush
Of mixed composition
- assortmentMixed collection of things
- hodgepodgeConfused, disorderly mixture
- jumbleConfused disorderly collection
- medleyVaried mixture or blend
potpourri · grab-bag · mishmash · motley · patchwork · ragbag · omnium-gatherum · farrago
Widespread, not specialized
- genericNot brand-name
- nonspecificNot clearly defined
- unspecifiedNot explicitly named
- undefinedNot clearly delineated
ambiguous · nebulous · fuzzy · broad · loose · imprecise · inexact · placeholder
Not assigned a type
comprehensive
Including all elements
- encompassingIncluding all within bounds
- universalAffecting all equally
- blanketSoft bed covering
umbrella · sweeping · across-the-board · wall-to-wall · wholesale · indiscriminate · nonselective · unselective · broad-brush · dragnet
miscellaneous
Of mixed composition
- assortmentMixed collection of things
- hodgepodgeConfused, disorderly mixture
- jumbleConfused disorderly collection
medley · potpourri · grab-bag · mishmash · motley · patchwork · ragbag · omnium-gatherum · farrago · gallimaufry
general
Widespread, not specialized
- genericNot brand-name
- nonspecificNot clearly defined
- unspecifiedNot explicitly named
undefined · ambiguous · nebulous · fuzzy · broad · loose · imprecise · inexact · placeholder · filler
uncategorized
Not assigned a type