doohickey

/ˈduːhɪki/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈduːhɪki/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdü-ˌhi-kē/ (ame, mw)

doohickey — 名詞

  • doohickeysingular
  • doohickeysplural

1. a small object, often a part or piece of equipment, that the speaker is pointing

1.名詞C1
釋義

小玩意；零件

叫不出名字的小物件或零件

a small object, often a part or piece of equipment, that the speaker is pointing at or talking about but whose proper name they have forgotten or never knew.

例句

Minh asked the plumber what the little doohickey under the sink was for.

Minh 問水電工，水槽下面那個小玩意是做什麼用的。

spoken question about an unfamiliar small part

There is a tiny plastic doohickey on the camera strap that keeps slipping off.

相機背帶上有個塑膠小零件，老是會滑掉。

doohickey + on [larger object] for an unnamed part

同義詞
  • thingamajig

    very close synonym, equally informal; can refer to any unnamed object, not only mechanical parts

  • whatchamacallit

    informal; emphasises that the speaker once knew the name and is now searching for it

  • gizmo

    informal; leans toward small gadgets or devices that do something clever, not just any small part

  • widget

    neutral; often used as a placeholder noun in business or design examples rather than spontaneous speech

文法句型

a/the + doohickey

doohickey + on/in [larger object]

用法筆記

Common in spoken American English when the speaker cannot recall, or never knew, the technical name of a small part. Near-synonyms include 'thingamajig', 'whatchamacallit', and 'gizmo'; 'doohickey' tends to suggest a small, often mechanical, piece.

常見錯誤

❌He installed a new doohickey of the engine.
✅He installed a new doohickey on the engine.
💡use 'on' or 'in' to attach a doohickey to a larger object, not 'of'.
❌Please write the doohickey size on the report.
✅Please write the part size on the report.
💡'doohickey' is informal and vague; avoid it in written, technical, or formal contexts where you need a real name.