whatchamacallit
That unnamed thing
Whatchamacallit is a placeholder word for something whose name you can't recall or don't know: Hand me that whatchamacallit on the counter.
It belongs to a family of similar terms—thingamajig, doohickey, whatsit—all serving the same function.
The word mimics the phrase "what you may call it" spoken quickly.
Novel small device
- widgetUnspecified small device
- contraptionImprovised or odd mechanism
- deviceConstructed tool or machine
- gizmoNameless mechanical device
apparatus · mechanism · instrument · tool · implement · doodad · knickknack · trinket
Placeholder for forgotten names
- doohickeyPlaceholder word for objects
- doodadUnnamed small object
- gizmoNameless mechanical device
- thingyPlaceholder for forgotten nouns
thingummy · whatsis · whatsitsname · dingus · so-and-so · such-and-such · blank · fill-in
Erasing or forgetting
- forgetfulFailing to retain information
- elusiveHard to find
- escapedGot away from confinement
- misrememberedRecalled inaccurately
Informal in-group vocabulary
- colloquialCasual, everyday language
- casualRelaxed and informal
- folksyInformally friendly and simple
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
everyday · vernacular · breezy · offhand · unstudied · relaxed · easygoing · familiar
gadget
Novel small device
- widgetUnspecified small device
- contraptionImprovised or odd mechanism
- deviceConstructed tool or machine
gizmo · apparatus · mechanism · instrument · tool · implement · doodad · knickknack · trinket · bauble
whatsit
Placeholder for forgotten names
thingy · thingummy · whatsis · whatsitsname · dingus · so-and-so · such-and-such · blank · fill-in · stand-in
blanking
Erasing or forgetting
slang
Informal in-group vocabulary
- colloquialCasual, everyday language
- casualRelaxed and informal
- folksyInformally friendly and simple
conversational · everyday · vernacular · breezy · offhand · unstudied · relaxed · easygoing · familiar · homespun
- thingsthing, object, item, stuff, article
- placeholder wordsthingy, doohickey, doodad, whatsit, thingummy
- thingamabobsthingies, doodads, doohickeys, whatsits, whatnot
- thingamajigsdoohickey, doodad, gizmo, thingy, widget
- vague wordssomething, someone, somewhere, sometime, somehow
- Whimsy Wordsgobbledygook, gibberish, mumbo jumbo, hogwash, balderdash
whatchamacallitproper name
Individual's official identifier
technical term · definite article · known quantity · scientific name · brand name