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 — 名詞
- whatchamacallitsingular
- whatchamacallitsplural
1. an informal stand-in word for a person or thing when the real name suddenly will
那個叫什麼
一時想不起名稱時的稱呼
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.
Elise 開口要那個能把腳架支腳固定住的那個叫什麼。
the whatchamacallit + relative clause identifying the object
Ari kept calling the new accountant whatchamacallit until someone told him her name.
Ari 一直把新來的會計叫成那個叫什麼，直到有人告訴他她的名字。
call someone whatchamacallit when a name is forgotten
Could you pass me the whatchamacallit, the blue clip for these papers?
你可以把那個叫什麼遞給我嗎？就是夾這些文件的藍色夾子。
Wei wrote 'whatchamacallit' on the list because the spare part had no label.
Wei 在清單上寫了「那個叫什麼」，因為那個備用零件沒有標籤。
By lunch, Salma still could not remember the whatchamacallit on the coffee machine.
到了午餐時間，Salma 還是想不起咖啡機上那個叫什麼。
- 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'.