It has happened to all of us. You want to talk about an object, but you forgot the name of it. Or you never knew the name at all. Maybe you are not even sure there is a word for it.
For example, that thing that you need to fix your bicycle. Or perhaps it is something you need for your computer. Or that part on your motorcycle that never, ever seems to work.
What are these things?
They are called "doohickies." A doohickey is a word you use when you do not know, or you have forgotten, the real name of an object.
The MacMillan Dictionary defines doohickey as "something such as a small object or tool that you cannot remember the name of." The American Heritage Dictionary says it is "something, especially a small device or part, whose name is unknown or forgotten."
Language experts say the word first started being used in the United States in the early 1900s. But other experts say they have seen examples of words like these in writings from the middle 1800s.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary for Learners of American English gives this example of how native speakers might use doohickey: "I need one of those doohickeys, you know, with the long handle."
Merriam-Webster lists a lot of strange words as synonyms(同义词) for doohickey. The most common are whatchamacallit, （叫什么来着）， whatnot（某种东西）and whatsit（某某玩意）。
You will probably never see these words in official documents or newspaper reports. But you might hear them in informal American English, when people are talking to each other.
Most Americans will know what you are talking about if you use one of those words. Just point at the object, use one of these words, and they will bring it to you.
本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！
13980503458
13980503458
admin@qisuen.cn
