The language of imprecision

[thatcrazycajun]

Just thinking about those oh-so-useful words we all know for things whose actual names we can't quite recall at the moment (or just don't feel like bothering with): thingamajig, dingus, whoozie-whatsis, thingummy, whatchamacallit, doohickey, jobbie, doodad, gizmo, whangdoodle and the ever-popular, simple but elegant thingie.

Then, of course, there's designations for people whose names have slipped from memory: whatsisname, whoozis, whatsherface, that joker and whoever. And units of measure: a tad, skosh, jigger, dollop, finger, pinch, smidgen or a schmear.

Care to add to the list? Got a favorite? And does a dictionary of this kind of terminology exist out there? Somewhere there must be a latter-day Samuel Johnson who has taken up this field of lexicography.

Comments

[peteralway.livejournal.com]

I childhood friend of mine was the 0ffspring of Indian immigrants whose impeccable English apparently did not include those terms, so he was immensely confused when my dad used them. And mortified by my dad's definition:

A doohickey is a thingamabob that does the job.

[dsthomas.livejournal.com]

Mother's favorite to this DAY is whatchadoogamaflochee

Kind of like a whatchamacallit with a twist.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

I've got a few, but most of'em are obscene... working construction will do that.

I thought schmear was whatever it was you put on a bagel (cream cheese, lox, jam, etc.), not a measure... other than one meaning "the entirety of it all", but I'd seen that one spelled "schmeer"...

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

oh, wait. I got one that's printable. I think.

Doomiflotchie. (I made up the spelling, I've never seen it in print.) Same as a thingamajig.

(Need a Hermione with her hand up icon here. :)

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[ohikennedy.livejournal.com]

If you ever find "An Inexact Dictionary" I'd like very much to hear about it! I love these sorts of turns of phrase & how they vary by family or geography.

Unfortunately my brain is wet oatmeal right now & the only other one I can think of is whosisnose--to be used when you're referring to whatsherface's brother.

[filkferengi]

My mom was always partial to doo-lally.