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whatchamacallit

whatchamacallit

7 9.9
A word for an object whose name you do not know
  • noun
  • /ˈwɑːtʃəˌmɑːˌkɑːlɪt/
  • Informal
translation icon : cosa
  • Can you hand me that whatchamacallit over there? I need it for my project.

Examples

  • Okay, we need to find the big whatchamacallit that controls the parents' phones.

  • Now you can finish patchin' up my whatchamacallit.

  • School's like a whatchamacallit thing for the whole world.

  • "That's a whatchamacallit," I say.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Tell you the flat truth, that's sort of a... a whatchamacallit.

  • The whatchamacallit, the tube with the... - The doohickey thing.

  • I have like my vanity, a little whatchamacallit dresser.

  • He's sittin' outside on his own like a whatchamacallit.

  • This will be more sought after than the whatchamacallit Porsche 918.

    Blog text (10)
  • Whenever Edie was taunted at school about her weight, or called "frog legs" by the prettier girls, she'd simply close her eyes and think of Daddy, who called her his "little princess," his "little ballerina," and even (somehow, this was Edie's favorite nickname) his "little whatchamacallit."

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

thingy
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
75 8.4

An informal word for an object when you forget its name

is used for any unnamed object rather than only specific items
widget
vswhatchamacallit
59 5.1

A small useful thing or tool for a particular job

is the plain filler for any unnamed object rather than a technical example
gizmo
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
56 7.1

A small device or tool whose name you do not know

is used broadly for any unnamed object, not only small devices
doohickey
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
11 9.9

A small object whose name you do not know

is used for any unnamed object rather than for only devices
doodad
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
7 8.7

A small thing or device whose name you do not know

is the general term for any unnamed thing, not only small gadgets
thingie
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
6 9.2

A simple word for an object you cannot remember the name of

is the general placeholder used when the name is unknown
gimmick
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
6 5.6

A small object whose name you cannot remember

is the broader placeholder used for any unnamed item, not only gadgets
thingamabob
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
5 9.6

A thing whose name you do not know or remember

is a general term used when the real name is forgotten
thingamajig
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
5 9.9

A word people use for a person or object when they forget its name

is used only for objects and not for people
whatsis
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
1 9.9

A thing whose name you cannot remember

is the usual word to refer to an unknown object
whosis
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
1 9.9

A casual word for a person or thing whose name you do not know

is used only for objects and does not refer to people
hootenanny
vswhatchamacallit
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small tool or object you forget the name of

is the common placeholder for any unnamed object, not a specific device
whatchamacallum
vswhatchamacallit
  • UK
9.9

A word for something whose name you cannot remember

is an alternative form with the same meaning
thingmajig
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
9.9

An object whose name you do not know or have forgotten

is the general word for any unnamed object, not only devices
thingumabob
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
9.9

An object whose name you don't know or have forgotten

is simply the everyday filler for unknown object names
thingumajig
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
9.9

A small object whose name you do not know

is the plain placeholder for any unnamed item rather than a name
thinginess
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
9.9

A word used for an object when you forget its name

is the normal word used when you cannot remember a name
thingummy
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
9.9

A word for a person or thing whose name you cannot remember

is mainly for objects and not typically used for people
dojigger
vswhatchamacallit
  • Informal
9.9

A small object used when you do not know its name

is broader applying to any unnamed object not only devices
gismo
vswhatchamacallit
  • UK
8.5

A small device you do not know the name of

is the general placeholder for any unnamed thing rather than a device
gubbins
vswhatchamacallit
  • UK
9.9

Small things you do not know the name of or need

is the single-item placeholder used for one unnamed object rather than a collection

How Informal

whatchamacallit
  • Informal
7 9.9
doodad
  • Informal
7 8.7
hootenanny
  • Archaic
1 9.9
thing
1.0
item
1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

whatchamacallit = what + call + it (semi-transparent) = what + call + it

The components 'what', 'call', and 'it' are recognizable and convey the general idea, but the condensed colloquial fusion is idiomatic rather than a regular productive morphological process.

Etymology

The word whatchamacallit comes from the spoken question 'what do you call it', shortened into one playful word. So, it's used when you can't remember or don't know the name of an object.