doohickey
That unnamed thing
A doohickey is a thing whose name you don't know or can't recall—a gadget, device, or small mechanical part: Hand me that doohickey over there.
The word belongs to a family of informal placeholder terms including thingamajig, whatchamacallit, and gizmo, used when the proper name escapes you or when the object seems too minor to name precisely.
Placeholder for unnamed objects
- whatchamacallitStand-in for forgotten names
- thingamabobUnnamed object placeholder
- thingummyPlaceholder for forgotten names
- whatsitPlaceholder for forgotten names
thingy · gizmo · widget · dingus · jigger · gubbins · whatnot · watchamacallit
Nameless mechanical device
- widgetUnspecified small device
- contraptionImprovised or odd mechanism
- deviceConstructed tool or machine
- apparatusEquipment for a task
mechanism · implement · appliance · tool · instrument · rig · component · accessory
thingamajig
Placeholder for unnamed objects
- whatchamacallitStand-in for forgotten names
- thingamabobUnnamed object placeholder
- thingummyPlaceholder for forgotten names
whatsit · thingy · gizmo · widget · dingus · jigger · gubbins · whatnot · watchamacallit · hootenanny
gizmo
Nameless mechanical device
- widgetUnspecified small device
- contraptionImprovised or odd mechanism
- deviceConstructed tool or machine
apparatus · mechanism · implement · appliance · tool · instrument · rig · component · accessory · peripheral
knickknack
Small decorative object
novelty · ornament · curio · bibelot · bric-a-brac · trifle · keepsake · memento · souvenir · collectible
quirky
Idiosyncratically unusual
- playfulInclined toward fun
- offbeatPleasantly strange or unusual
- whimsicalPlayfully fanciful or erratic
zany · kooky · oddball · funky · eccentric · unconventional · peculiar · comical · fanciful · madcap
- thingsthing, object, item, stuff, article
- placeholder wordsthingy, whatchamacallit, thingamabob, whatsit, thingummy
- thingamajigsthingamajig, thingamabob, whatchamacallit, gizmo, thingy
- vague wordssomething, someone, somewhere, sometime, somehow
- placeholdersplaceholder, bar, blank, dummy, filler
- gadgetssmartphone, gadget, gizmos, widget, tablet
doohickeytechnical term
Specialized field vocabulary
proper noun · scientific name · brand name · model number · part number
doohickeytechnical terminology
Specialized words within disciplines
technical term · apparatus · instrument · mechanism · jargon