whatchamacallit
/ˈwɒtʃəməkɔːlɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈwʌtʃəməkɔːlɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈ(h)wä-chə-mə-ˌkȯ-lət How to pronounce whatchamacallit (audio) ˈ(h)wə- How to pronounce whatchamacallit (audio)/ (ame, mw)
whatchamacallit — noun
- whatchamacallitsingular
- whatchamacallitsplural
1. an informal stand-in word for a person or thing when the real name suddenly will
an informal stand-in word for a person or thing when the real name suddenly will not come to you
Elise asked for the whatchamacallit that locks the tripod legs in place.
the whatchamacallit + relative clause identifying the object
Ari kept calling the new accountant whatchamacallit until someone told him her name.
call someone whatchamacallit when a name is forgotten
Could you pass me the whatchamacallit, the blue clip for these papers?
Wei wrote 'whatchamacallit' on the list because the spare part had no label.
By lunch, Salma still could not remember the whatchamacallit on the coffee machine.
- whatsit
shorter placeholder word with almost the same meaning, often sounding less playful
- thingy
very casual and common in British English, often for objects rather than people
- thingamajig
similarly playful, usually aimed at an object whose name is missing
- doohickey
more strongly associated with small tools or mechanical parts
文法句型
the / a / that + whatchamacallit
call someone or something + whatchamacallit
whatchamacallit + appositive clue
用法筆記
Mostly heard in casual American speech, often when the speaker is searching out loud for a lost name. It can refer to a person or an object, but it sounds more playful and self-aware than shorter forms such as 'whatsit' or 'thingy'.