Thingamajiggers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to refer to gadgets or devices whose names are not known or have been forgotten
2. It describes unspecified objects that serve a function, often in a playful or informal context
3. A whimsical label for various items or tools when their exact names elude the speaker

Etymology: "Thingamajiggers" is simply the plural of "thingamajigger," so the story belongs to the singular. "Thingamajigger" is a playful, informal noun for an object whose name has slipped your mind or that you do not need to name, and it belongs to the family of nonsense-style words built to stand in for a missing term. The "-jigger" ending is a common American word for a gadget or contraption, which is why the form sounds so practical, while "thing" supplies the vagueness. The plural follows the regular English pattern of adding "-s" to a count noun, so a handful of unnamed gadgets on a kitchen counter becomes "thingamajiggers" without any change to the stem. The word is used in speech far more than in writing, and it works the same way whether the speaker is pointing at a tool, a part, or a device they cannot remember the name of.

Synonyms: doohickeys, gadgets, whatchamacallits