whachamacallit

whachamacallit
/hwuch"euh meuh kawl'it, hwoch"-, wuch"-, woch"-/, n. Informal.
an object or person whose name one does not know or cannot recall.
Also, whatchamacallit, what-you-may-call-it, what-do-you-call-it.
[1940-45; sp. of what you may call it reflecting affrication of t before y and reduction of vowels; cf. similar metric pattern and internal ama in RIGAMAROLE, THINGAMAGIG]

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • whachamacallit — whachamacallit, n. Any object whose name is forgotten, or not known. [Also spelled {whatchamacallit}.] Syn: thingumbob, doohickey, dingus, whatsis, what do you call it. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whachamacallit — whatchamacallit whatchamacallit, n. Any object whose name is forgotten, or not known. [Also spelled {whachamacallit}.] Syn: thingumbob, doohickey, dingus, whatsis, what do you call it. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whachamacallit — /hwuch euh meuh kawl it, hwoch , wuch , woch /, n. Informal. an object or person whose name one does not know or cannot recall. Also, whatchamacallit, what you may call it, what do you call it. [1940 45; sp. of what you may call it reflecting… …   Useful english dictionary

  • whatchamacallit — whachamacallit whachamacallit, n. Any object whose name is forgotten, or not known. [Also spelled {whatchamacallit}.] Syn: thingumbob, doohickey, dingus, whatsis, what do you call it. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • doohickey — doo hick*ey, n. Any object, usually a tool or other device, whose name is forgotten, or not known. Syn: thingumbob, whatchamacallit, whachamacallit. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whatchamacallit — whatchamacallit, n. Any object whose name is forgotten, or not known. [Also spelled {whachamacallit}.] Syn: thingumbob, doohickey, dingus, whatsis, what do you call it. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whatchamacallit — /hwuch euh meuh kawl it, hwoch , wuch , woch /, n. whachamacallit. Also, what do you call it /hwud euh yeuh kawl it, hwod , wud , wod /. * * * …   Universalium

  • what-you-may-call-it — /hwuch euh meuh kawl it, hwoch , wuch , woch /, n. whachamacallit. * * * …   Universalium

  • contraption — n Informal. contrivance, device, gadget, invention, creation, artifice, makeshift, hickey, widget; mechanism, apparatus, rig, gear, tackle, equipment, machine, appliance, Rube Goldberg, Archaic. trangam; All Inf. whachamacallit, thingumajig,… …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

  • gadget — n 1. contrivance, device, invention, creation, artifice, makeshift, hickey, widget, Rube Goldberg; mechanism, apparatus, machine, appliance; instrument, implement, tool, utensil. 2.All Inf. contraption, whachamacallit, thingumajig, thingamabob,… …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

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