thingumbob
That forgotten gadget
Thingumbob is an informal placeholder for an object whose name you can't recall or don't know: Hand me that thingumbob over there.
It belongs to a family of similar terms—thingamajig, whatchamacallit, doohickey—all serving the same function of naming the unnamed.
Also spelled thingamabob.
Stand-in for forgotten names
- doohickeyPlaceholder word for objects
- gizmoNameless mechanical device
- widgetUnspecified small device
- gadgetNovel small device
contraption · doodad · whatsit · thingy · object · device · item · apparatus
Without marks or content
- forgottenNo longer recalled
- misrememberedRecalled inaccurately
- elusiveHard to find
- word-findingAccessing stored vocabulary
brainfart · fugitive · escaping · nameless · unremembered · circumlocution · vague · hazy
Casual, everyday language
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- everydayOccurring each day
- spokenExpressed in words aloud
relaxed · imprecise · folksy · homey · familiar · unpretentious · vernacular · chatty
whatchamacallit
Stand-in for forgotten names
gadget · contraption · doodad · whatsit · thingy · object · device · item · apparatus · implement
blank
Without marks or content
- forgottenNo longer recalled
- misrememberedRecalled inaccurately
- elusiveHard to find
word-finding · brainfart · fugitive · escaping · nameless · unremembered · circumlocution · vague · hazy · uncertain
colloquial
Casual, everyday language
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- everydayOccurring each day
spoken · relaxed · imprecise · folksy · homey · familiar · unpretentious · vernacular · chatty · breezy