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Richard's Grammar & Composition BlogThingamabobs and WhatchamacallitsWhen the Fairy Godmother casts her spell in Disney's Cinderella (1950), she sings: It will do magic,Forget "Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo." Our magical word of the day is "thingamabob"--a Swiss Army knife of a word that means, well, just about anything we want it to mean. Not very helpfully, The American Heritage Dictionary defines "thingamabob" as (no joke) a "thingamajig." Some call the "thingamabob" (or "thingamajig" or "whatchamacallit") a placeholder; others prefer the term tongue-tipper. Regardless of the label, it's a word used by speakers to signal that they don't know or can't remember a more precise word for the thingie--whatever it may be. Some placeholders, such as "doodad" and "whatsit," are widely known. Others carry a more regional flavor: "gubbins" is favored by the British, "yoke" by the Irish. And some of the most peculiar tongue-tippers fall into the mysterious realm of family slang. Here, for your delectation, is a list of placeholders that we've collected over the years:
More Words About Words: Wednesday April 23, 2008 | comments (3) Display Latest Headlines | powered by WordPress |
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