whatsitsname
Thing I forgot
Whatsitsname is a placeholder for a word you can't recall or don't know—the thing whose name escapes you: Hand me the whatsitsname, the thing you open bottles with.
It functions like thingamajig or whatchamacallit.
The parallel form whatsisname substitutes for a forgotten person's name.
Placeholder word for objects
- thingummyPlaceholder for forgotten names
- doodadUnnamed small object
- gizmoNameless mechanical device
- widgetUnspecified small device
gubbins · whatnot · thingy · so-and-so · whatsis · dingus · contraption · gadget
Brief failure or expiration
- blankWithout marks or content
- slipMinor error or misstep
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- recallMemory retrieval act
forgotten · escaped · elusive · lost · misremember · fugitive · vanished · faded
Informal in-group vocabulary
- colloquialCasual, everyday language
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- nicknameInformal substitute name
- monikerInformal designation for someone
sobriquet · catchphrase · coinage · neologism · lingo · jargon · idiom · byname
doohickey
Placeholder word for objects
widget · gubbins · whatnot · thingy · so-and-so · whatsis · dingus · contraption · gadget · gewgaw
lapse
Brief failure or expiration
recall · forgotten · escaped · elusive · lost · misremember · fugitive · vanished · faded · unrecalled
slang
Informal in-group vocabulary
- colloquialCasual, everyday language
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- nicknameInformal substitute name
moniker · sobriquet · catchphrase · coinage · neologism · lingo · jargon · idiom · byname · appellation
what, whose, names, thingamajig, whatsit, thingamabob, whatchamacallit