Michael Quinion has just published an article in his World Wide Words site on Oojah. That got me thinking about the words that we use to mean the same thing -- 'some useful little device which doesn’t have a name, or something which does have a proper name but which you’ve temporarily forgotten'.

In a couple of minutes I came up with a number of synonyms, listed below. Has anybody got any more to add?

• whadjamacallit
  
• whatsitsname - or whatsit
  
• whatnot
  
• thingy
  
• thingummy
  
• doobrey
  
• doohickey.

Note that my spelling may vary from yours (or the dictionary's!)

[This message was edited by arnie on Tue Mar 2nd, 2004 at 11:37.]

Thingamajig
Doodads
Gizmo
Gadget

Bob will like this: [If, that is, his computer is working!]

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
"Of pintles, sprags, and bandoleers-
"Of pillions and feazings-
"And where a moonglade can be found-
"And why pilcrows have no wings."