Probably as long as people have been communicating, mouths have moved faster than brains. When that happens, we’ve come up with some entertaining ways of naming something or someone we can’t immediately recall the precise word or name for. Sometimes a placeholder name or phrase might be inserted until the proper word or name comes to mind or is discovered, such as John Doe or Jane Doe, or Lorem ipsum; sometimes that placeholder name is all that’s needed to give enough context. However, unspecified objects or persons can lead to confusion or can invite the listener/reader to fill in the blank with their own (mis)interpretations or (wrong) conclusions. Official use of such placeholder names can be a dangerous doohinkus, as you can imagine: Naming all as-of-yet unnamed newborns Babygirl or Babyboy could lead to mix-ups, or wrong medications. In 2009, the US Army unfortunately sent out 7,000 letters to families of fallen soldiers in Iraq, addressing them as “John Doe” – you can imagine the backlash and PR nightmare, not to mention the emotional trauma that blunder caused. So don’t use these words in official correspondence or medical practice, but otherwise, have fun with them!
Doohinkus
Doohickus
Doohickey
Doodinkus
Thingumabob
Wotsit
Whatzit
Thingie
Thingamy
Thingamajig/Thingamajiggy
Dingsboms
Doodad
Doojigger
Gizmo
Frobnitz
Dinglehopper
Flapdoodle
Dingus
Doofer
Whatchamacallit/Whatchamahoozie
Dealy
Whoozit/whosit
Whosiewhatsit
Whatsername/Whatzisname
Rigamajig
Kajigger
Bizzo
Can you think of any others? Please share them in the comments below!
Stephanie Huesler 