whatsis
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈhwætsɪs/
- Informal
:
cachivache
- When he asked me about the gadget on the table, I could only reply that it was a whatsis that I didn't understand.
Examples
-
There was the really cool fabric thing from Japan, the African masks exhibit, and the West Indian whatsis that had the really weird food.
Fiction book (1999) -
She's got some bumps on her whatsis.
-
You know, for the, uh, the whatsis the whatchamalcalit, the, the thingamabob, the mind evaporator.
-
I forgot the name of that book, so I'll just call it the whatsis for now.
-
At the art fair, I saw a strange sculpture; I couldn't remember what it was called, so I referred to it as the whatsis.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
An unknown object or idea that is not named
∞
1.0
Something you do not know or cannot name
75
8.4
An informal word for an object when you forget its name
59
5.1
A small useful thing or tool for a particular job
11
9.9
A small object whose name you do not know
7
8.7
A small thing or device whose name you do not know
7
9.9
A word for an object whose name you do not know
6
9.2
A simple word for an object you cannot remember the name of
6
5.6
A small object whose name you cannot remember
5
9.9
A word people use for a person or object when they forget its name
5
9.6
A thing whose name you do not know or remember
1
9.9
A small tool or object you forget the name of
1
9.9
A casual word for a person or thing whose name you do not know
A word for something whose name you cannot remember
A small object whose name you do not know
An object whose name you don't know or have forgotten
An object whose name you do not know or have forgotten
A word for a person or thing whose name you cannot remember
A small object used when you do not know its name
Small things you do not know the name of or need
A person or thing with no name
How Vague
Surface Forms
Etymology
Whatsis is a playful shortening of the question parts what + its, like asking 'what is it' when you forget a name and similar to the informal word 'whatchamacallit'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine pointing at something and saying whatsis, because it simply means a thing whose name you do not know.