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Glite Dictionary
and whatnot

and whatnot

6 7.7
Other similar things not mentioned
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : etcétera
  • The store sells pet supplies such as food, toys, and whatnot.

Examples

  • I enjoy the fact that it's not full of sex, graphic violence, and whatnot.

    Blog text (28)

  • Cleaning bills, heating bills, bills for chemicals and whatnot.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I've done most of the sorting out I wanted to do... staff changes and whatnot.

    A Doll's House (1973)

  • We import everything from our toilet tissues, clothes, appliances, electronics, computers, and whatnot.

    Blog text (12)

  • Even the latest announcements regarding the forums and whatnot.

    Blog text (28)

  • Unless you're a full-time touring artist with the backing of traditional media outlets for promotion and whatnot, what's the point?

    Blog text (12)

  • Also, they wanted to make a country that actually looked like prints from old Currier and Ives Christmas cards, plates, tins, and whatnot.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • We enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and whatnot.

  • For the picnic, we packed sandwiches, fruits, drinks, and whatnot.

Synonyms

etcetera
vsand whatnot
22 4.1

Other things like those already mentioned

is a more informal conversational way to add similar unspecified things
and so forth
vsand whatnot
16 1.0

Use to refer to other things like those already mentioned

is more relaxed and conversational than this slightly formal phrase
and the like
vsand whatnot
11 3.5

Things or people similar to those just mentioned

is slightly more casual and vague when adding extra similar items
and so on
vsand whatnot
8 1.4

To talk about other similar things without naming them

is a looser, more informal way to include extra similar items
and such
vsand whatnot
8 5.7

Other things like the ones mentioned

is more informal and chatty when adding other similar things
you name it
vsand whatnot
  • Informal
7 7.2

Anything you can think of is included

is narrower and simply adds similar unspecified things rather than everything
et cetera
vsand whatnot
2 3.3

Shows there are other similar items in a list

is the casual spoken alternative used to add similar items
whatnot
vsand whatnot
  • Informal
1 5.5

Various small things kept together, such as pens and paper clips

is similar but used more casually to add such items in speech
all that jazz
vsand whatnot
  • Informal
1 7.9

Other similar things you could mention

is a plain informal way to add other similar items

Surface Forms

and whatnot main
and what not main

Morphology

and + whatnot

The meaning 'and other such things' is directly derivable from combining 'and' (an additive conjunction) with 'whatnot' (a vague noun for miscellaneous items), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the phrase. This construction parallels cross-linguistic patterns like 'and so on' or 'y cosas' and is therefore transparently compositional despite its informal register.

Etymology

And whatnot may come from the older phrase what not, which people used when they could not name everything and meant 'anything not named'. So today and whatnot is a quick way to say 'and other similar things'.