Whatsitsnames

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Used to refer to people or things whose names are forgotten or unknown ; serves as a placeholder term in place of a specific noun
2. A generic expression employed when the exact name of a person or object is not remembered ; acts as a stand-in for something unnamed
3. Identifies someone or something whose proper designation cannot be immediately recalled ; functions as a substitute for an actual name

Etymology: "Whatsitsnames" is the plural of "whatsitsname," which is built from three ordinary English words run together: "what's," "its," and "name," meaning roughly "what is its name?" The construction is a conversational shortcut for a name you cannot recall, the same kind of gap-filler as "thingamajig" or "whatchamacallit." The plural is the more striking part. The plural form is a regular English "-s" added to the end of the compound, so it follows the ordinary pattern for nouns rather than any special rule.

Synonyms: thingamajigs, thingamabobs, whatchamacallits, doohickeys, thingummies